A comparison of the spine posture among several sit-and-reach test protocols

The purpose of the study was to compare the thoracic and lumbar spine posture among different sit-and-reach tests. Fifty-eight men and 47 women were asked to perform three trials of sit-and-reach test (SR), toe-touch test (TT), back-saver sit-and-reach test (BS) right and left, unilateral seated sit-and-reach test (USR) right and left, and V sit-and-reach test (VSR). Thoracic and lumbar angles were assessed with an inclinometer when subjects reached forward maximally. Women had a lower thoracic angle than men on all tests (p<0.05). No differences were found in the lumbar angle between genders. The thoracic angle was the highest in VSR (75.3 degrees in men and 65.8 degrees in women) and the lowest in TT (61.7 degrees in men and 53.1 degrees in women). No differences were found among some pairwise comparisons (SR-BS in both genders, SR-TT, SR-VSR and others in women). The VSR test presented the highest values in lumbar spine when compared to other tests (30.5 degrees in men and 32.0 degrees in women). Unilateral seated sit-and-reach test presented the lowest lumbar angle in men (24.2 degrees for right leg and 23.9 degrees for left leg) and women (23.9 degrees in both legs) and there were significant differences with respect to the other tests. Characteristics and administration procedures of tests, such us uni- or bilateral, sitting or standing, measuring with or without box, parallel or V position, and hip position influence thoracic and lumbar postures.