Method and instrument for noninvasive measurements of thoracolumbar rotation.

An objective method of measuring thoracolumbar vertebral rotation by using a suitable compass attached to an auxiliary tool is described. The jugular notch and xiphisternum are used ventrally and the spinous process on the same horizontal planes is used dorsally as reference points for spinal rotation. The method was tested on 39 adults. The mean of intratester and intertester correlation coefficients for the measurements was 0.79 (SD 0.11), with no essential difference between intratester and intertester reproducibility. The results also showed that the method is of considerable validity and, thus, is a supplement to noninvasive goniometric measurements of thoracolumbar mobility in the sagittal and frontal planes.