Departments of 1 SMPP, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, 2 PTHMS, 3 PM&R, 4 Orthopaedic Surgery, 5 Radiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA 60611
ABSTRACT:
Tissue thickness of muscle and fat-skin overlying the ischial tuberosity (IT), was measured from a Non-Weight-Bearing to a Weight-Bearing sitting posture on 16 SCI individuals. MRI images of the buttock-thigh were obtained in each condition. The thickness of the tissue layers was measured between the tip of IT and skin. The obtained data was compared to that from controls that reported previously. The muscle was found to be significantly thinner in SCI than that in controls (14.2±8.6mm vs. 29.3±4.2mm, P<0.001) in a Non-Weight-Bearing posture. For the same posture, the fat-skin layer was found to be thicker in SCI than that in controls (62.4±11.3mm vs. 44.5±6.9mm, P<0.001). Muscle and fat- skin thicknesses significantly (P<0.006) decreased from Non-Weight-Bearing to Weight-Bearing Sitting for both groups. Findings of this study confirmed that there are significantly less muscle padding tissues around IT in individuals with SCI in a seated posture and compressive load exerted during sitting.
Key words:
spinal cord injury; pressure ulcer risk; sitting; buttock; gluteus maximus; magnetic resonance imaging; ischial tuberosity; in vivo.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
The project was supported by NIH Award #K25 HD051983-01A1.
Correspondence Author:
Mohsen Makhsous, Dept of Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern Univ., 645 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1100, Chicago, IL 60611. Phone 312-503-0073. Email: m-makhsous2@northwestern.edu