STUDIES ON EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF SENILITY BY BODY HEIGHT, ARM SPAN AND MOBILITY OF THORACO-LUMBAR SPINE (REPORT 1) / 体力科学

ABSTRACT

Body height, arm span and mobility of thoraco-lumbar spine with a spinometer were measured for 1071 males and 1243 females selected from among the local residents of over 20 years of age. Upon reviewing the mutual relationships among the values of body height, arm span, body height, arm span ratio, and mobility of thoraco-lumbar spine, a study was conducted to see if body height arm span ratio as an index of body height shrinkage would serve for evaluation of senility. The results may be summarized as follows.<BR>1. The values of mobility of thoraco-lumbar spine decreased with age. The angle at maximal flexion (AF) was shallow and the angle of erected posture (AEP, physiological lordosis) and the angle at maximal extension (AE) shifted forward. As the result, the range of maximal flexion (RF), the range of maximal extension (RE) and the range of total flexion-extension (RTFE) decreased. Among the values of mobility of thoraco-lumbar spine, RE showed the greatest rate of decrease due to aging.<BR>2. According to the investigation of the relationships among the values of mobility of thoraco-lumbar spine, smaller values of AEP or physiological lordosis resulted in forward shifting of the area of total flexion-extension and in a decrease of RTFE.<BR>3. As Dequeker et al. claimed, the body height and the arm span in the mature 20's were almost equal, the ratio being approximately 1.0. Moreover, the values in the literature measured over 20 years ago together with those in the present study were reviewed and it was found that the ratio body height/arm span was constant regardless of the difference in body height and era. This evidence provides scientific support for the theory of Dequeker et al. that the ratio is an index of the shrinkage of body height due to aging.<BR>4. Although neither body height nor arm span showed any relationship with the values of mobility of thoraco-lumbar spine, the ratio body height arm span show correlationship with the values of mobility of thoraco-lumbar spine. Moreover, the relationship was evident in older subjects over 40 years of age while it was not so evident in younger subjects under 39 years of age, and thus there was a trend noted that the mobility of thoraco-lumbar spine becomes worse as the value of body height/ arm span decreases. This evidence indicates that the shrinkage of body height and the decrease of mobility of thoraco-lumbar spine progress simultaneously. Accordingly, the ratio body height/arm span and the mobility of thoraco-lumbar spine may be regarded as indices of senility of the morphology and function of lumbar spine.