The ratio of upper lumbar to lower lumbar sagittal mobility related to age, sex, and low back trouble.

A simple clinical technique, utilising a modified flexicurve, has been used to measure sagittal mobility in upper and lower regions of the lumbar spine in 624 subjects. The results confirm that mobility is related to age, sex, and current low back trouble, but also reveal a relationship with a history of previous complaints. The ratio of upper to lower mobility does not show a predicted pattern of increase in the presence of degenerative change or current back trouble compared with young or symptomless subjects, but rather suggests that the reduction of mobility in symptomatic back trouble may be effected by non-articular factors. The wide range of upper/lower ratio found here deserves further exploration but indicates potential clinical value for the flexicurve technique.