Abstract des Autors

A good degree of joint flexibility is essential to maintain physical efficiency; it also allows better execution of specific movements in sports. A correct evaluation of total rachis flexibility, as well as of its single parts, becomes in practice a quite difficult task. Many different methods have been used to measure spine mobility and recently electronic goniometers have been introduced in clinical practice. In this study we have measured spine flexibility between a group of 63 young adults who regularly practiced sports (ISEF students) both male and female whose age was 19-22 years. We used Metrecom, an instrument which can reconstruct the exact position of any point standing in the portion of space reachable by its mechanical arm. It can therefore calculate excursions and angles of different spine segments along the three space planes. We begun measuring with patients standing up right, then in flexed and extended position, in right and left bending position, in right and left trunk rotation. We considered separately cervical, dorsal-lumbar spine together and lumbar spine alone. The values we obtained are therefore referable to a young-adults class of athletes. A greater female mobility is evident throught sagittal plane for lumbar and for dorsal-lumbar spine (13% more compared with males). Measures did not reveal important differences between sexes if referred to frontal and transversal planes. Those values set standards to refer to in case of trunk-flexibility limitations which may sometimes interest young adults who practice sport. They also may be useful to monitor, throughout a long period of time, pathologies who may interest spine, especially cervical and lumbar spine. Verf.-Referat