Assessing validity of thoracic spine rotation range of motion measurement methods: comparison of magnetic resonance imaging and clinical measurements.
Kazuna Ichikawa, Takuya Otsuka, Hardianty Andi Munawarah Abduh and 1 others
PMID 38434995WHAT IT FOUND
The lumbar-locked rotation test correlates with MRI but consistently overestimates thoracic rotation due to fixed errors.
Seated and half-kneeling tests showed no significant correlation with MRI. Clinicians should consider adjacent joint influence when interpreting clinical ROM measurements.
Key findings
01The lumbar-locked rotation test showed a significant moderate positive correlation with MRI measurements (r=0.461, p<0.05).
02Bland-Altman analysis revealed a fixed error where the lumbar-locked rotation test yielded significantly larger angles than MRI (p=0.001).
03The seated and half-kneeling rotation tests did not show statistically significant correlations with MRI measurements.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only healthy young adults, so findings may not apply to patients with existing spinal pathology or pain. The sample size was small (26 participants). Compensatory movements from the shoulder girdle and scapula may have influenced the clinical measurements, particularly in the lumbar-locked position.
Declared interests
Funded by a strategic research fund from Tokyo Metropolitan University. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the lumbar-locked rotation test provides an accurate absolute angle for thoracic rotation. While it correlates with MRI, it systematically overestimates the range of motion, likely due to scapular or shoulder compensation that the test position does not fully eliminate.