ANALYSIS OF SPINE MOTION VARIABILITY USING A COMPUTERIZED GONIOMETER COMPARED TO PHYSICAL-EXAMINATION - A PROSPECTIVE CLINICAL-STUDY

A prospective clinical study was carried out to determine whether the CA-6000 Spine Motion Analyzer was more reliable in measuring spine mot ion compared to previously described methods of physical examination. One-hundred-twenty age-controlled patients with a negative back histor y were tested with the CA-6000 to establish normal values. Interexamin er and intraexaminer correlation coefficients and coefficients of vari ation were determined for 30 patients by three different examiners, ea ch testing the patients three times each. Each test consisted of exami ning flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation. For flexion, t he CA-6000 was compared to the double inclinometer and Schober methods . For extension and lateral flexion, the CA-6000 was compared to the d ouble inclinometer and Moll methods. For rotation, the CA-6000 was com pared to the double inclinometer method. The interexaminer and intraex aminer variability using the CA-6000 was significantly less (P less-th an-or-equal-to 0.025) than other methods for all motions except flexio n. In flexion, the differences were not significantly different. The d ata from this experiment indicate that the CA-6000 has significantly l ess variability in measuring spine motion clinically than the other me thods tested.