Purpose.

Evaluate and compare the spinal angles between two groups of elderly people: active and sedentary, using the flexicurve method.

Methods.

Participated 30 elderly people, of which they were divided into two groups: 15 active and 15 sedentary (they did not present differences for anthropometric characteristics), between 65 and 74 years old. To measure the angles of the vertebral column (cervical, thoracic and lumbar) the flexicurve and the Biomec Flex software v.3.0 are used.

Results.

Significant difference was obtained between groups in the measurement of the cervical spine, where only active older adults presented measurements within normal parameters, and sedentary older adults presented cervical hyperlordosis. The lumbar spine measurements presented curvature rectification values for both groups (according to the reference values of the literature).

Conclusion.

The curvature of the cervical spine was affected in sedentary older adults in the present study, compared to the curvature of the spine in active older adults. Furthermore, the rectification of the curvature of the lumbar spine and the changes due to this posture should be considered in the planning of physical exercise in this population.

        · resumo em Espanhol     · texto em Espanhol     · Espanhol ( pdf )