The Study of relationship between structural profiles and postural control in individual with Down syndrome

Down syndrome is consider as the most common genetic disorders to mental disabilities. There are specific anatomical and physiological characteristics in Down syndrome (DS) people that make them different from other healthy people. The aim of this study was to identify the relationship between postural control and structural profiles in children with Down syndrome. 30 male with DS (mean age: 14/86 ±1/65 yr., height: 158/89 ±10/1 cm, weight: 63/33±13/9 kg, body mass index: 25/50±4/19 kg/m2) and 25 patient healthy peers (mean age: 15/04 ±2/13 Yr., height: 164/36 ± 11/42 cm, weight: 56/24±12/01 kg, and body mass index: 20/72± 3/58 kg/m2) participated in this study as the sample group. The head and shoulders postures, lordosis and kyphosis angles and balance were evaluted with the photography, flexible ruler and Biodex balance system respectively. Independent t-test and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to analyze the data (p≤0/05). The results indicated that the forward head posture (p=0.001) and balance (p=0.001) of Down syndrome patients are significantly lower but the kyphosis angle of them is significantly higher (p=0.001) than healthy participants. Moreover, the significant relationship were found between the forward head posture and anterior-posterior balance test (p=0.02), and between the kyphosis with anterior-posterior balance (p=0.009) and finally between the kyphosis with general balance (p=0.006) in individuals with Down syndrome. Therefor due to poor balance and some structural abnormalities in patients with Down syndrome, it seems that the corrective exercise would be necessary to improve balance and postures in individuals with Down syndrome.