Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Evaluation of Patients' Posture and Gait Profile After Lumbar Fusion Surgery by Video Rasterstereography and Treadmill Gait Analysis
Published on: March 23, 2019
A new, comprehensive normative database of lumbar spine ranges of motion
M Troke1, A P Moore, F J Maillardet
1Department of Rehabilitation Studies, School of Health Care, Oxford Brookes University, UK. mtroke@brookes.ac.uk
Aims And Objectives:
To generate gender-specific and broadly based age-related indices for normative lumbar ranges of motion for all planes of movement.
Design:
This was a repeated measures prospective study of spinal range of motion in a sample of volunteer subjects utilizing a portable modified CA6000 Spine Motion Analyzer (Orthopedic Systems Inc., Union City, CA, USA).
Setting:
Data collection was carried out in a variety of community locations including fire, police and ambulance stations, offices and community centres.
Subjects:
A total of 405 asymptomatic subjects (196 female, 209 male) were recruited, aged 16-90 years, from sedentary, mixed and physically demanding occupations.
Methodology:
Indices of lumbar spine ranges of motion were measured in standing following a standardized protocol for sagittal flexion/extension, coronal lateral flexion and horizontal axial rotation movements.
Results:
Male and female normative flexion ranges declined by approximately 40% (72-40 degrees) across the age spectrum. Extension declined the greatest, by approximately 76% (29-6 degrees) overall. In lateral flexion male and female ranges declined approximately 43% (29-15 degrees) in each direction (total 58-30 degrees). In axial rotation no age-related decline was observed and ranges of motion remained at approximately 7 degrees in each direction (total 14 degrees) across all the ages of the subject group.
Conclusions:
Data have been generated that provide comprehensive, gender-specific, broadly based and age-related indices for normative lumbar ranges of motion in all planes of movement. These are applicable to individuals throughout adult life, from adolescence through to old age.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:16Vertebral Column: Regions and Curvature
Regions of the Vertebral Column
In an adult, the spine is subdivided into five regions: the cervical, the thoracic, the lumbar, the sacral, and the coccygeal region. The spine initially develops as a series of 33 vertebrae; after 20 years of age, the nine bones in the sacral region, five sacral, and four coccygeal bones fuse to form the...
00:51Anatomical Movements
Here are some common anatomical movements:
Flexion and extension motions are in the sagittal (anterior–posterior) plane of motion. These movements take place at the shoulder, hip, elbow, knee, wrist, metacarpophalangeal,...