Compensation of Respiratory-Related Postural Perturbation Is Achieved by Maintenance of Head-to-Pelvis Alignment in Healthy Humans

Conclusion Extreme lung volume variations over vital capacity is associated with changes of thoracic curvature bringing it outside the normal range, which would theoretically compromise verticality. This is however fully compensated by adaptations of the cervical curvature and pelvic tilt to preserve adequate head-to-pelvis verticality and horizontal gaze alignment. Lung volume related postural perturbations increase with age, but age did not affect head-to-pelvis alignment. Future studies are needed to investigate potential postural dysfunction in chronic respiratory diseases that induce changes of lung volume or chest geometry, such as COPD. Ethics Statement All subjects gave written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The protocol was approved by the Comité de Protection des Personnes Ile-de-France VI Paris (Ethics Committee). Author Contributions VA, LC, BS, and TS contributed substantially to the study design, data analysis and interpretation, and the writing of the manuscript. WS, PR, IR, and SR-N contributed substantially to the data analysis and interpretation and to the writing of the manuscript. Funding “Legs Poix” (LEG 1604) of the Chancellerie des Universités de Paris. VA is the recipient of a grant “poste d’accueil APHP/Arts et Métiers ParisTech,” délégation à la Recherche Clinique et à l’Innovation (DRCI), Assistance Publique Hôpi...
Source: Frontiers in Physiology - Category: Physiology Source Type: research