World´s COVID-19 anti-pandemic measures in the context of postural and spine disorders in primary school children in Slovakia.

INTRODUCTION: This study was aimed to estimate the effect of one-year persistence of COVID-19 anti-pandemic measures on the posture and spine in children of younger school age in Slovakia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 135 children aged between 6 and 9 years participated in this study. The examination of posture and spine was carried out in 4 schools in 4 different districts in Slovakia. The posture was evaluated in February 2020, before anti-pandemic restrictions and in period from May 2021, after one year of anti-pandemic restrictions. Modified methodology according to Napoleon Wolanski was used to evaluate the posture. RESULTS: For the entire study group, the mean posture disorder level score before anti-pandemic restrictions was 5.667 (±1.75) and it rose to 7.844 (±0.64). Prevalence of posture disorders rose from 71.11 % to 91.3 % in the study group. The most affected segments were lumbar spine and pelvis, followed by deformities of the thoracis spinae. The mean pathology level score for entire group in these segments rose as followed: in the lumbar spine from 0.6 (±0.61) to 1.022 (±0.75); in the pelvis from 0.444 (±0.54) to 0.772 (±0.73) and in the thoracis spine from 0.378 (±0.53) to 0.578 (±0.61). CONCLUSION: Study confirmed a worsening of the posture and spine in school children after a one year of strict anti-pandemic measures. As postural changes increased by 20 % during the year, it seems necessary to implement appropriate preventives programs for children, which could have the potential to improve their postural state (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 37). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: anti-pandemic restriction, e-learning, COVID-19, postural disorders, spine deformities.