%0 Journal Article
%T The value of shoe size for prediction of the timing of the pubertal growth spurt
%A Iris Busscher
%A Idsart Kingma
%A Frits Wapstra
%A Sjoerd K Bulstra
%A Gijsbertus J Verkerke
%A Albert G Veldhuizen
%J Scoliosis
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1748-7161-6-1
%X The aim of this study was to describe the increase in shoe size during adolescence and to determine whether the timing of the peak increase could be an early indicator for the timing of the peak growth velocity of sitting height.Data concerning shoe sizes of girls and boys were acquired from two large shoe shops from 1991 to 2008. The longitudinal series of 242 girls and 104 boys were analysed for the age of the "peak increase" in shoe size, as well as the age of cessation of foot growth based on shoe size.The average peak increase in shoe size occurred at 10.4 years (SD 1.1) in girls and 11.5 years (SD 1.5) in boys. This was on average 1.3 years earlier than the average peak growth velocity of sitting height in girls, and 2.5 years earlier in boys. The increase in shoe size diminishes when the average peak growth velocity of sitting height takes place at respectively 12.0 (SD 0.8) years in girls, and 13.7 (SD 1.0) years in boys.Present data suggest that the course of the shoe size of children visiting the outpatient clinic can be a useful first tool for predicting the timing of the pubertal growth spurt of sitting height, as a representative for spinal length.This claim needs verification by direct comparison of individual shoe size and sitting height data and than a step forward can be made in clinical decision making regarding adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.In adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in particular it is highly important to know when the peak growth velocity of spinal length takes place. Since a close relationship exists between the spinal growth of the patient and the angle progression of the idiopathic scoliosis, it is essential to know the timing of the pubertal growth spurt in order to determine the optimum treatment strategy for the individual child [1-4]. However, exact spinal length is hard to obtain and therefore sitting height can be a representative alternative.It is still highly difficult to predict when the individual child will have his or he
%U http://www.scoliosisjournal.com/content/6/1/1