Bending stiffness of the lumbar spine subjected to posteroanterior manipulative force.

This study measured the bending stiffness of the spine when it is subjected to posteroanterior mobilization force. The lumbar spine was modeled as an initially curved beam column supported over the rib cage and the pelvis. Posteroanterior mobilization was assumed to be three-point bending of the beam. The mobilization force was measured by the mounting of a force plate onto the manipulation couch, where electromagnetic sensors measured the change in spinal curvature. The bending stiffness of the spine was derived from the force and curvature data. The technique developed in this study provided highly repeatable data. The theoretical analysis suggests that the pelvic rotation produced by mobilization may be used clinically to indicate the magnitude of the mobilization force. Future research may employ the present method to determine how back pain may affect the bending stiffness of the spine. The bending stiffness values reported in this study will be valuable to future modeling work.