The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the hip flexion upon parameters that are indicators of spinal mobility. These parameters include intervertebral disc angle and lumbar curvature by measurement of the radiography in twenty eight healthy men. The state of knowledge of how these parameters relate to lumbar mobility have resolved. The results of the parameters showed negligible changes in relation to the mobility of lumbar spine according to angle of hip flexion except at L4-L5 intervertebral disc angle and lumbar curvature (p< 0.05). This results of study confirms that hip joint movement therapy can be applied to these norms in patient management in supine position of for the stable spinal injuries in the upper lumbar region during early phase.
Adult ; Aged ; Hip Joint/*physiology/radiography ; Human ; Intervertebral Disk/radiography ; Lumbar Vertebrae/physiology/*radiography ; Male ; Middle Age ; Movement ; Pelvis/physiology/*radiography ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Supine Position ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

BACKGROUNDA quantitative and accurate measurement of the range of hip joint flexion (RHF) is necessarily required in the evaluation of disordered or artificial hip joint function. This study aimed to assess a novel method to measure RHF more accurately and objectively.

METHODSLateral radiographs were taken of 31 supine men with hip joints extended or flexed. Relevant angles were measured directly from the radiographs. The change in the sacrofemoral angle (SFA) (the angle formed between the axis of the femur and the line tangent to the upper endplate of S1) from hip joint extension to hip joint flexion, was proposed as the RHF. The validity of this method was assessed via concomitant measurements of changes in the femur-horizontal angle (between the axis of the femur and the horizontal line) and the sacrum-horizontal angle (SHA) (between the line tangent to the upper endplate of S1 and the horizontal line), the difference of which should equal the change in the SFA.

RESULTSThe mean change in the SFA was 112.5 ± 7.4°, and was independent of participant age, height, weight, or body mass index. The mean changes in the femur-horizontal and SHAs were 123.0 ± 6.4° and 11.4 ± 3.0°, respectively. This confirmed that the change of SFA between hip joint extension and hip joint flexion was equal to the difference between the changes in the femur-horizontal and SHAs.

CONCLUSIONSUsing the SFA, to evaluate RHF could prevent compromised measurements due to the movements of pelvis and lumbar spine during hip flexion, and is, therefore, a more accurate and objective method with reasonable reliability and validity.

Adult ; Hip Joint ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Radiography ; Range of Motion, Articular ; physiology ; Sacrum ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Young Adult