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Spinal flexibility and individual factors that influence it.
Physical Therapy
|May 1, 1987
Summary
Spinal flexibility (or range of motion) varies widely in adults and is influenced by age, sex, height, and obesity. These factors must be considered when assessing an individual's spinal mobility.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Biomechanical Engineering
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Spinal flexibility is a key component of physical function.
- Understanding factors influencing spinal range of motion (ROM) is crucial for health assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate spinal flexibility in a large adult population.
- To examine the impact of individual physical characteristics on spinal ROM.
Main Methods:
- Assessed spinal flexibility in the sagittal and frontal planes for 3,020 blue-collar employees.
- Measured physical attributes including height, weight, and shoulder flexibility.
- Correlated flexibility measures with demographic and anthropometric data.
Main Results:
- Spinal flexibility measures showed positive correlations, except for lumbosacral flexion (modified Schober method).
- Age, sex, height, obesity, and height ratio (standing/sitting) significantly affected spinal ROM.
- Spinal ROM exhibits a broad spectrum of values.
Conclusions:
- Spinal ROM is influenced by numerous individual physical factors.
- Establishing 'normal' spinal mobility requires accounting for variations in age, sex, and physical attributes.
- Individualized assessment of spinal flexibility is recommended.