A Technique to Measure Windswept Deformity

Summary Introduction Many clinicians recognise that people who are unable to change their posture are at risk of developing a condition popularly described as ‘windswept deformity’. The term is used when a person presents with asymmetric deformity, the legs lying to one side, and the condition is often associated with pelvic obliquity and scoliosis. Method Three new procedures have been devised to measure windswept deformity. All measures are taken in supine crook lying. Procedure 1 measures the level of the pelvis when the knees are upright. Procedure 2 is a measurement of rotation of the pelvis as influenced by movement of the flexed knees together in an arc, right to left. This yields a single, objective figure, termed the ‘Goldsmith index of windswept deformity’ expressing the degree of asymmetry. Procedure 3 consists of measurement of a range of movement at the hip. Results Fifty subjects were assessed independently by two testers. Agreement between testers was good, particularly for the Goldsmith Index where only 0.1% of the total variance of the 100 measurements was systematic variation between testers. The two testers obtained results that were in agreement to better than 5° in more than 80% of cases and agreed to better than 10° in 92% of cases. Conclusion It is argued that this new measure is reliable enough to be used to screen patients, monitor treatments and communicate results and that by defining the condition a positive attitude towards its prevention will be encouraged.