An Investigation of Postural Deformities in Individuals with Visual Impairments and the Effects of Training Programs on These Deformities (A Systematic Review)‎

Postural deformities are more common in individuals with visual impairments than people with normal vision. The aim of the present study was to review the studies which have investigated the postural deformities and the effects of training programs in visually impaired individuals.

Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar Databases for articles published in English language and Medlib, Sid, Noormags, Magiran, and Google scholar for articles published in Persian language as well as the reference lists of the relevant articles were systematically searched. Articles published in English language were searched using combinations of the following keyword groups: (1) posture, mal-alignment, body deformity; and (2) blindness, visual impairment; and (3) corrective exercise and training. The “AND” operator was used between the 2 or the 3 keyword groups, while the “OR” operator was used within each keyword group. The search period covered years from January 2000 to August 2022. The studies having assessed the postural deformities in visually impaired individuals or having investigated the training programs effects on these deformities were included in the study.

Twenty studies regarding the assessment of posture in individuals with visual impairments and nine studies regarding the effects of training programs on posture of these individuals matched the inclusion criteria of this systematic review. The results of reviewed studies supported the hypothesis that the postural deformities are more common in visually impaired individuals than people with normal vision. The postural deformities in head and neck, shoulder girdle, vertebral column, and lower extremities are usually observed in people with blindness or low vision. The results also showed that training programs could have a positive effect on the postural mal-alignments of this population.

The present review indicates that postural deformities (head and neck, shoulder girdle, vertebral column, and lower extremities deformities) are more common in visually impaired people than people without vision impairments. The results also shows the positive effects of training programs on the postural deformities of this population. Nevertheless, more research are needed to be done by employing more precise investigation tools, control group, longer training programs, and a larger sample size consisting of subjects that are all of the same age range, gender, vision impairment levels and onset, and daily physical activity levels.