[A radiological study of movements of the normal lumbar spine (author's transl)]

Twenty normal individuals have been studied using 6 radiological views. They included 8 men and 12 women (6 of them classical dancers). In flexion and extension the 5th lumbar is the most mobile vertebra. All vertebrae from T10 to L5 participate in this movement. The flexion decreases from the first vertebra to the uppermost vertebra. In lateral bending, L3 was generally the most mobile and L5 the most immobile. Contrary to previous studies, it was shown that movement in flexion (75 p. cent) was greater than movement in extension (25 p. cent).