CAMPTOCORMIA - A BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS - A CASE-REPORT

Although camptocormia, a conversion disorder associated with the disab ility of severely forward-bent posture, has been reported in the liter ature, to date there has been no report of a detailed kinematic or bio mechanical analysis of this disability. Presented is a 47-yr-old male engineer with severely forward-bent posture during walking. One year a go, after playing tennis, he developed low back pain followed by a sen sation that to walk comfortably he had to assume a forward-bent postur e. Two months later, although the low back pain had resolved, he maint ained the same unusual walking pattern. Although he could walk a few s teps in the upright position, he would spontaneously revert to the for ward-bent posture. Physical examination was normal except for bilatera l 10 degrees hip flexion contractures. Gait laboratory analysis, inclu ding kinematics, kinetics, and dynamic electromyography, revealed exag gerated anterior pelvic tilt during terminal stance when he walked in an upright posture. In the forward-bent posture, however, this anterio r pelvic tilt was significantly less. It is possible that his unusual forward-bent posture was a compensatory mechanism to reduce excessive pelvic tilt. Although this rare disability has been previously attribu ted to a conversion disorder, there may be, in some instances, a biome chanical component.