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Related Experiment Videos

Measuring movement at the low back.

J Rice1, M Walsh, A Jenkinson

  • 1The Gait Laboratory, Central Remedial Clinic, Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland. jjrice@gofree.indigo.ie

Clinical Anatomy (New York, N.Y.)
|March 6, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Sagittal spinal movement extends beyond the lumbar spine, with significant motion occurring in the lower thoracic spine. This suggests redefining the "low back" to include lower thoracic vertebrae for accurate spinal motion analysis.

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Area of Science:

  • Biomechanics
  • Spinal Anatomy

Background:

  • Clinical significance of human spinal movement is recognized, but measurement challenges persist.
  • Traditional focus on lumbar spine movement overlooks the lower thoracic spine's contribution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that sagittal (forward-bending) low back movement is not solely confined to the lumbar spine.
  • To investigate the extent of spinal motion and skin distraction in the lower thoracic and lumbar regions during trunk flexion.

Main Methods:

  • Studied sagittal plane range of motion and skin distraction during trunk flexion in 10 healthy subjects.
  • Measured angular movement between vertebra prominens and S2.
  • Quantified skin distraction to determine the proportion of movement cranial to T12.

Main Results:

  • Angular sagittal movement between vertebra prominens and S2 ranged from 40 to 83 degrees.
  • Skin distraction revealed that a mean of 32% (range 20-41%) of upper thorax to sacropelvis movement occurred above T12.
  • Significant spinal motion originates from the lower thoracic spine.

Conclusions:

  • The term "low back" should encompass mobile vertebrae in both the lower thoracic and lumbar spines.
  • Sagittal plane motion in this region should be viewed as the upper thoracic spine moving relative to the sacropelvis.
  • Current measurement techniques may underestimate true low back mobility by excluding the lower thoracic spine.

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