Anterior spinal flexion in healthy Mexican children.

We investigated anterior spinal flexion (ASF) in a group of 250 healthy Mexican children (125 boys and 125 girls) aged from 6 to 15 years using the Schober's and Macrae and Wright's techniques and 4 new variants. Two of these variants were the more reliable methods of measuring the ASF in children. Marks either 5 cm (Method 3) or 10 cm (Method 4) above and 2.5 cm below the lumbosacral junction were made in the midline of the back with the children standing upright. After bending their trunks, the distraction between the inferior and superior marks was measured. ASF did not increase nor decrease with age. Highest values were found in boys. Values of at least 4 and 6 cm for boys and 3 and 5 cm for girls using Methods 3 and 4 are required to consider ASF in children aged from 6 to 15 as normal.