A combined flexi-rule/hydrogoniometer for measurement of lumbar spine and its sagittal movement.

A portable device is described which can record contours of the spine when standing normally and in extreme postures of flexion and extension. It can also give a numerical record of the range of lumbar movement and of the angles to the vertical in which the sacrum and upper spine are held in relation to the lordotic curve. It is felt that the device may be useful for clinical reports, ongoing assessments of therapy, and for epidemiological studies. Its use as a predictor of those at risk to develop low-back pain or for prognosis in established cases remains to be tested. The device has been used in a back-pain clinic and in an epidemiological survey, where it has been found to be assay and quick to use. Further adaptations may be found to be desirable; these would not detract from the usefulness of the device in that successive readings would still be comparable.