Computation of Intersegmental Moments during StandingPosture: Can We Neglect the Horizontal Ground Reaction Force?Results from an Experimental Study

e development of postural analysis thanks to force and pressure platforms, in order to determine the center ofpressure, can be valuable in the setting of spinal malalignment. .e purpose of this study was to compare “pressure” and “force”platforms for the evaluation of the center of pressure. In other words, can we neglect the horizontal ground reaction force in theevaluation of intersegmental moments during standing posture?Methods. Postural data from two healthy adult volunteers wereanalyzed. Analysis of the posture was done according to a protocol providing sagittal intersegmental moments. A set of 36 markerswas used to divide the body in 10 segments. Postacquisition calculations were done in order to obtain the sagittal net in-tersegmental moments. To evaluate the differences in intersegmental moments between force and pressure platforms, thepostacquisition calculations were done with a simulated pressure platform. Mean intersegmental moments between each bodysegment for each volunteer were compared.Findings. .ere were significant differences between the 2 platforms in intersegmentalmoments for the lumbo-sacral junction, hips, knees, and ankles (p<0.005). All differences were inferior to intrasubject variabilitymeasured with the force platform (p<0.001). Results from intra- and interobserver comparisons showed that differencesmeasured with the pressure platform were all inferior to the standard error obtained with the force platform for every in-tersegmental moment (p<0.001).Interpretation. .e use of a simulated pressure platform to determine intersegmental momentshas the same clinical efficiency as force platforms. Moreover, the possibility to set the platform into the radiograph room will allowin a second time a correlation between radiographic parameters and biomechanical constraints applied to the spine.