Clinical Study Asian Spine J 2015;9(3):416-422 • http://dx.doi.org/10.4184/asj.2015.9.3.

416

Evaluating Kyphosis and Lordosis in Students

by Using a Flexible Ruler and Their
Relationship with Severity and Frequency of
Thoracic and Lumbar Pain
Sedigheh-Sadat Mirbagheri1, Amir Rahmani-Rasa1, Farzad Farmani2, Payam Amini3,
Mohammad-Reza Nikoo1
1Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan,
Iran 2Department of Orthotics and Prosthetics, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences,
Hamedan, Iran 3Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Iran
Study Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive study. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between
kyphosis and lordosis measured by using a flexible ruler and mus- culoskeletal pain in students of Hamadan
University of Medical Sciences. Overview of Literature: The spine supports the body during different activities by
maintaining appropriate body alignment and pos- ture. Normal alignment of the spine depends on its structural,
muscular, bony, and articular performance. Methods: Two hundred forty-one students participated in this study. A
single examiner evaluated the angles of lumbar lordosis and thoracic kyphosis by using a flexible ruler. To determine
the severity and frequency of pain in low-back and inter-scapular regions, a tailor-made questionnaire with visual
analog scale was used. Finally, using the Kendall correlation coefficient, the data were statisti- cally analyzed.
Results: The mean value of lumbar lordosis was 34.46°±12.61° in female students and 22.46°±9.9° in male students.
The mean value of lumbar lordosis significantly differed between female and male students (p<0.001). However,
there was no difference in the level of the thoracic curve (p=0.288). Relationship between kyphosis measured by
using a flexible ruler and inter-scapular pain in male and female students was not significant (p=0.946). However, the
relationship between lumbar lordosis and low back pain was statistically significant (p=0.006). Also, no significant
relationship was observed between abnormal kyphosis and frequency of inter-scapular pain, and between lumbar
lordosis and low back pain. Conclusions: Lumbar lordosis contributes to low back pain. The causes of
musculoskeletal pain could be muscle imbalance and muscle and ligament strain.
Keywords: Kyphosis; Lordosis; Pain

ASJ ASJ
Introduction
Spine with a lateral S-shaped curve is an important com-
Received Sep 28, 2014; Revised Nov 25, 2014; Accepted Nov 25, 2014 Corresponding author: Mohammad-Reza Nikoo
Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Shahid
Fahmideh Street, Hamadan 6517838736, Iran Tel: +98-81-8381571, Fax: +98-81-8381572, E-mail:
[email protected]
Sedigheh-Sadat Mirbagheri et al. 416 Asian Spine J 2015;9(3):416-422
Copyright C 2015 by Korean Society of Spine Surgery This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
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non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Asian Spine
Journal • pISSN 1976-1902 eISSN 1976-7846 • www.asianspinejournal.org

Asian Spine Journal Asian Spine Journal

ponent of the body skeleton. This structure supports the body during different activities by maintaining appropri- ate
body alignment and posture [1,2].
417
Normal alignment of the spine depends on its structur- al, muscular, bony, and articular performance; therefore,
weakness of the spinal muscles can lead to static and dy- namic imbalances of the body which are generally called
positional abnormalities [2]. Skeletal abnormalities result from lack of motion and inappropriate movement pat-
terns, which have undesirable effects on the psychological, social, and physiological function [3].
Hyperkyphosis or postural round back is a common spinal deformity with a prevalence of 15.3% in Western
societies [3] and 13.2% in Iranian high school students [4]. Congenital anomalies, neuro-muscular disorders,
Scheuermann disease, and positional difficulties play an important role in causing thoracic kyphosis. Increasing the
arch of the thoracic spine known as kyphosis along with the shortening of the thoracic muscles and weakness of the
respiratory muscles affect the pulmonary system by decreasing the thoracic volume and lung volume [5].
Thoracic pain is one of the common conditions found in all of the societies and nowadays its prevalence is in-
creasing following a decrease in mobility, an increase in weight of the trunk, inappropriate positioning of the spine
during daily activities, and increasing use of computers [6]. Physical activities, extensor exercises, and constant con-
trol of kyphosis by orthopedic surgeons are the examples of related treatments [7]. If kyphosis is progressive, a
brace needs to be applied [8]. In that case, ongoing assess- ment of kyphosis is essential to control the thoracic curve
and to evaluate the outcomes of the treatment.
Lumbar lordosis is the ventral curvature of the spine formed by wedging of the lumbar vertebrae and interver-
tebral discs [9]. Several studies have indicated the clinical and functional importance of lumbar lordosis [10]. Lum-
bar lordosis is a key component in maintaining the sagittal balance. According to some studies as lordosis increases,
thoracic kyphosis also increases; however, some studies have indicated that an increase in lordosis is accompanied
by a decrease in kyphosis [11,12]. The abnormal lumbar curvature can lead to imbalance in the standing position [2].
Medical examinations have shown that lumbar pain rarely has pathophysiological causes [13]. Pain intensifies at
night following muscular weakness and in the morning and decreases after daily activities [14].
Assessment of kyphosis is usually performed via lateral radiography of the spine imposed on an X-ray [15]. Con-
tinuous radiography is expensive and also potentially life-
threatening [16]; hence, researchers have attempted to perform this assessment via non-invasive techniques [15].
The use of a flexible ruler as a means of non-invasive measurement of kyphosis and lordosis is cheap and ac-
cessible with a simple application [16]. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to evaluate the kyphosis and
lordosis angles by using a flexible ruler and their relation- ship with pain severity and frequency in male and female
students.

Materials and Methods

In this observational, cross-sectional, descriptive study, 241 (157 females and 84 males) students of Hamadan
University of Medical Sciences were enrolled.
Sample size was calculated based on the number of newly entered students to the above mentioned university (650
female students, 350 male students) and the popula- tion ratio (p) of 68% from previous studies. The present study
was ethically approved by the related committee of Hamadan University of medical sciences. All participants took
part in the study with full awareness and voluntarily. Students who had experienced rheumatologic or neuro- logical
pain and orthopedic diseases such as idiopathic scoliosis and difference in leg length discrepancy were ex- cluded
[1]. A pain questionnaire was used to examine the severity and frequency of the lumbar and inter-scapular pain. Pain
severity was assessed via a visual numerical scale from 0 to 10.
Pain frequency was measured as follows: never or rarely (perceived pain, once a month or less), sometimes
(perceived pain, twice or three times a month), and often (perceived pain, once to three times a week or more) [1].
A flexible ruler was used to examine the thoracic and lumbar curvature. Validity and reliability studies for the
flexible ruler and non-radiographic method have been performed previously [17].
The amount of lordosis and kyphosis was measured three times by a single examiner using a flexible ruler and the
average value was reported. Also, the inter-observer correlation coefficient was 0.87 with a measurement error of
0.006.
To assess the curvatures by using a flexible ruler, partic- ipants were asked to stand in the normal anatomical posi-
tion with the examiner standing at the back. First lumbar (L
1
) and second sacral (S
2
) vertebrae were considered as markers for evaluating the lumbar curvature. In order to

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Relationship between kyphosis and lordosis and thoracic and lumbar pain
Sedigheh-Sadat 418 Mirbagheri et al. Asian Spine J 2015;9(3):416-422
Table 1. Comparison of the mean of lordotic and kyphotic angles in females and males
Female (n=157) Male (n=84)
p-value Mean (SD) Min Max Mean
(SD) Min Max
Measurement of lumbar curve (°) 34.46 (12.61) 5.73 73.74 22.46 (9.9) 5.91 50.12 <0.001 Measurement of thoracic
curve (°) 22.57 (7.08) 5.73 53.44 23.56 (6.57) 9.16 42.16 0.288 SD, standard deviation; Min, minimum; Max,
maximum.
identify S
2,
the posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS) was
Table 2. Prevalence of the kyphosis according to the
gender (°) marked. The midpoint between the two PSISs, according to Gray’s Anatomy, was considered as the
spinous process
Degree of the S
2
Frequency (%)
.
Female Male Total To identify L
1
, the examiner pressed the lower back
<20 58 (36.9) 25 (29.8) 83 (34.43) above the iliac
crest in order to move the soft tissue later-
>20 & <40 97 (61.8) 57 (67.9) 154 (63.9) ally where
the two thumbs reach horizontally together
>40 2 (1.3) 2 (2.4) 4 (1.66) on the L
4
spinous process. By counting up the vertebrae, the L
1
spinous process was identified. Then, the flexible ruler was placed on L
1
and S
2
while a hand pressed on it
Table 3. Prevalence of the lordosis according to the
gender (°) to eliminate the gap between the ruler and the skin. The ruler was put on a sheet and the lumbar curve was
drawn
 Degree afterwards [18].
Measurement of the thoracic curvature was performed in a similar manner to that of the lumbar curvature. The
only difference was that C7 and the junction of T12 and L1 were marked in order to measure the thoracic curva- ture
[19]. The thoracic curve was drawn by using a flex- ible ruler. Two ends of the curve reached together, and a L line
was drawn whose midline vertically reached the middle of the curve through the h line. The lengths of h and L lines
were calculated and the aforementioned angle was obtained. The line was drawn from the side of the ruler which
touched the skin.
θ=4 arc tan 2 h/L Using descriptive statistics, mean values of kyphotic and lordotic angles and their prevalence
based on gender were reported.
Because of the misfit of the data to normal hypothesis, non-parametric tests such as the Mann-Whitney U test and
non-parametric correlation tests of Gamma and Kendall were applied. Data processing was carried out via SPSS ver.
16 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).

Results
Mean values of lordotic and kyphotic angles are shown in Table 1. Mean value of the lumbar arch was
34.46°±12.61°
Frequency (%)
Female Male Total
<30 59 (37.6) 60 (71.4) 119 (49.83) >30 & <50 78 (49.7) 23 (27.4) 101 (41.9)
>50 20 (12.7) 1 (1.2) 21 (8.71)
and 22.46°±9.9° in female students and male students, respectively. Lumbar lordosis showed a significant dif-
ference between the two student groups (p<0.001), while there was no difference in the thoracic curvature (p=0.288)
(Table 1).
Table 2 indicates the prevalence of kyphosis accord- ing to gender and angles of <20, >20 & <40, and >40. In
brief, 36.9% and 67.9% kyphotic angles of <20, 16.8% and 67.9% kyphotic angles of >20 & <40, and 1.3% and
2.4% kyphotic angles of >40, were identified in female students and male students, respectively (Table 2).
Prevalence of lordosis based on gender and angles clas- sified as <30, >30 & <50, and >50 is presented in Table 3.
In brief, 37.6% and 71.4 % <30 lordosis, 49.7% and 27.4% >30 & <50 lordosis, and 12.7% and 1.2% >50 lor-
dosis, were found in female students and male students, respectively (Table 3).
Table 4 indicates the relationship between kyphosis and interscapular pain severity in male students, female stu-
419
Table 4. Results of Kendall correlation test for investigating the relationship of kyphasis and lordosis with lumbar and
inter-scapular pain in the whole sample
Inter-scapular pain (p-value) Back pain (p-value)
Female (n=157) Male (n=84) Total (n=241) Female (n=157) Male (n=84) Total (n=241)
Kyphosis 0.799 0.283 0.946 Lordosis 0.808 0.508 0.006
Table 5. Results of the Kendall correlation test for investigating the relationship of kyphosis and lordosis with
frequency of the lumber and inter- scapular pain in the whole sample
Inter-scapular pain frequency (p-value) Back pain frequency (p-value)
Female (n=157) Male (n=84) Total (n=241) Female (n=157) Male (n=84) Total (n=241)
Kyphosis 0.798 - 0.572 Lordosis 0.872 - 0.068
Table 6. Results of the Kendall correlation test for investigating the relationship of kyphosis and lordosis
Kyphosis (p-value)
Female (n=157) Male (n=84) Total (n=241)
Lordosis 0.416 0.101 0.331
dents, and both, as well as the relationship between lordo- sis and lumbar pain severity.
No significant relationship was observed between ky- phosis measured by using a flexible ruler and inter-scap-
ular pain in both student groups (p=0.946), whereas the relationship between lordosis and lumbar pain severity in the
whole study sample was significant (p=0.006).
There was no relationship between kyphosis and inter- scapular pain frequency in male students and female stu-
dents and also in the whole study sample (p=0.068) (Table 5).
No significant relationship was found between kyphosis and lordosis in the whole study sample based on gender
(p=0.331, Table 6).

Discussion
The goal of this study was to investigate the prevalence of kyphosis and lordosis by using a flexible ruler and also of
musculoskeletal pain and their relationship with pain severity and frequency in male and female students of
Hamadan University of Medical Sciences.
According to the results, the mean values of lordosis
and kyphosis were 34.46°±12.61° and 22.57°±7.08° in fe- male students and 22.46°±9.9° and 23.56°±6.57° in male
students, respectively.
Many studies have proved the validity and reliability of using flexicurve in comparison with radiographic data. A
systematic review of validity and reliability of the non- radiographic method showed high to very high levels of
reliability of the Flexicurve. This study suggested that flexicurve is an easy to use, hand-held tool, and it could
replace radiography in evaluating lumbar lordosis [17]. However, with respect to cervical lordosis, there are some
studies that showed that the flexicurve sagittal skin con- tour measurement has poor concurrent validity compared to
radiographic measurements [20]. It seems that postural or X-ray positioning and radiographic analysis lead to
appearance of confounding variables, which affects the results. Also, obesity, muscular development, previous
trauma, and biomechanical complexities of the cervical spine could result in some differences in the measurement of
surface contour compared to lateral radiographs [20]. According to previous research, the flexicurve kyphosis angle
provides strong validity and reliability. Furthermore, it is inexpensive and can be easily used by the entry-level
research staff, requires short measurement time, and does not expose the patients to high radiation risk. It seems that
the use of this measurement method for detection of spine abnormalities and examination of the posture in healthy
subjects is quite beneficial [21].
On the other hand, postural age-related changes include a forward head, rounded shoulders, increased thoracic
kyphosis, decreased lumbar lordosis, and flexed hips and

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Relationship between kyphosis and lordosis and thoracic and lumbar pain
Sedigheh-Sadat 420 Mirbagheri et al. Asian Spine J 2015;9(3):416-422
knees [22]. With age, a progressive change occurs in the kyphotic angle in both genders [23]. However, there are
limited evidences to illustrate the causes of age-related lumbar lordosis, and further research is required to de-
termine the influence of age on lordosis [22]. Therefore, in the present study, as all participants were young (aged
between 19 to 21 years), we did not aim to evaluate the ef- fect of age on the amount of kyphosis and lordosis.
Lumbar lordosis showed a significant difference be- tween both genders (p<0.001); however, no difference was
seen in the thoracic curve (p=0.288). In other words, the mean value of lordosis was higher in female students than
in male students. The mean value of kyphosis was higher in male students than in female students, although this
difference was not significant.
Altogether, the lumbar curve was greater in female stu- dents compared to male students in this study. Although
some studies showed that lumbar lordosis is not different between females and males [24], results of the present
study support the finding that lumbar curve is greater in females than in males [22].
The prevalence of abnormal kyphosis was 2.4% and 1.2% in male students and female students, respectively.
Therefore, abnormal kyphosis was more common in male students compared with female students. Abnormal
lordosis was more common in female students than in male students (12.7% in female students and 1.2% in male
students).The prevalence of kyphosis and lordosis beyond the normal range in students of Hamadan University of
Medical Sciences was 1.66% and 8.71%, respectively.
There was no significant relationship between kypho- sis and inter-scapular pain in male students and female
students and the whole study sample; while, they were significantly related in the study by Griegel-Morris et al. [1].
This difference in the result was most likely due to the different methods of measurement. In the present study,
kyphosis was measured by using a flexible ruler which is more valid and subtle than observational assessment which
could consider kyphosis of 20°–40° as an abnor- mality.
A significant relationship was observed between lumbar pain and lordosis in the whole study sample, although it
was not significant according to gender. Therefore, it could be said that gender had no effect on the relationship
between pain and severity of the abnormalities, which was probably due to the homogeneity of male and female
students with respect to abnormality and pain. Several
factors are involved in causing low back pain such as disc degeneration, muscle stretch, age, and occupation [25].
Clinical observations indicate the role of postural anoma- lies in low back pain [13]. In this study, lordosis in the stu-
dents was significantly related to low back pain, and this finding corresponded with that in the study by McKenzie
[26] which showed that low back pain occurred as a result of long and inaccurate over-stretching of the soft tissue in
an abnormal posture. That is, as the extensor muscles become overloaded during lordosis, low back pain may
emerge.
There was no significant relationship between the ab- normality and pain frequency, which corresponded with the
results of the study carried out in younger and older adults [1].
Since cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spinal regions are biomechanically related, any change in each arch might be
due to the postural alteration in other arches [27]. In the present study, the relationship between lordosis and ky-
phosis was not significant. Perhaps, increasing the sample size could help in demonstrating a significant relationship
between lordosis and kyphosis.

Conclusions
According to the results, lordosis may play a key role in low back pain, which might result from muscular imbal-
ance and overstretching of the muscles and ligaments. Low back pain may also be caused by psychological fac- tors,
which usually cannot be controlled by the researcher in most studies. It could be concluded that through a simple
examination of the spine, such abnormalities can be identified as well as chronic spinal pain can be pre- vented.
 Findings of this study indicate the importance of pos- tural evaluation in youth, in which chronic pain is rarely
related to other diseases, and hence, the pain could be considered to occur as a result of inappropriate posture and
can be managed by performing corrective exercises.
Involvement of a team of professionals in occupational therapy, physical therapy, ergonomics, and orthopedic
surgery is recommended in order to provide information to individuals about the anatomy and biomechanics of the
spine, risk factors that contribute to abnormalities, accurate positions for sitting, standing, lying, carrying objects,
and using instruments, and performing exercises to strengthen the weak muscles and correct the abnormal
421
posture, known as back school program for musculoskel- etal pain.

Conflict of Interest
No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

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