Assessment Of The Flexibility Of The Lumbar Spine

Abstract

Skin traction between two fixed points on the midline of the back during anteflexion was tested as a parameter of the anteflexibility of the lumbar spine. The starting mark was placed on the spinous process of LV, found by intersection of the dorsal midline with the line connecting both lateral lumbar fossae. Repeated measurements in five healthy young men revealed that the mean variability of the length increase during anteflexion was about 6.5%, independent of the measuring distance, which varied from 5 to 20 cm. A steel tape rule was found to be a handier measuring device than a caliper rule. There is a gradual decrease of anteflexibility of the lumbar spine upward from LV. In 248 children, varying in age from 6 to 18 years, skin distraction during anteflexion between the zero mark and a mark 15 cm above it, was found to be more than 4.8 cm in all but 2 cases. In children above the age of 12 years this “lumbar flexion range” was independent of age, body length, thoracolumbar spine length and degree of lumbar lordosis. Dr J. K. van der Korst Division of Rheumatology Department of Internal Medicine University of Nijmegen Nijmegen The Netherlands