Preliminary opto-electronic study on vertebral movement.

Opto-electronic systems utilising measurement of displacement of skin markers allows study of movement in the living subject. The authors have used this method in a kinematic study of the thoracic and lumbar spine measuring the displacement of skin markers placed over the spinous processes. It was possible to approach the physiological state of these complex movements once the apparatus had been calibrated to the correct level, and the error margins minimised. Repeated measurements confirmed the reliability of this method even if movement of the skin with respect to the bony reference points introduced some margin of error. Three dimensional displacement of the vertebrae were measured during voluntary movements of the spine demonstrating the complex geometry. Since opto-electronics are non-invasive they constitute an important advance in the study of the kinematics of the spine.