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Sagittal lumbar and pelvic alignment in the standing and sitting positions

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Orthopaedic Science

Abstract

Background

The sitting position has become the most common posture in today’s workplace. In relation to this position, kinematic analysis of the lumbar spine is helpful in understanding the causes of low back pain and its prevention.

Methods

In this study, we investigated the relationship between sagittal lumbar alignment and pelvic alignment in the standing and sitting positions for 50 healthy adults. Lumbar lordotic angle (LLA), sacral slope (SS), pelvic tilt (PT), and pelvic incidence (PI) were measured on lateral lumbar spine standing and sitting radiographs.

Results

Regarding changes from the standing to sitting positions, average LLA, SS, and PT were −16.6° (−49.8 %), −18.7° (−50.3 %), and 18.3° (284.8 %), respectively (P < 0.01). In the sitting position, lumbar lordosis was reduced and pelvic rotation became posterior.

Conclusions

This study showed that LLA decreased by approximately 50 % and PT increased by approximately 25 % in the sitting position compared with the standing position. No significant gender differences were observed for LLA, SS, and PT in the standing position. In the sitting position, however, LLA and SS were markedly larger for women.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0023, Japan

    Kenji Endo, Hidekazu Suzuki, Hirosuke Nishimura, Hidetoshi Tanaka, Takaaki Shishido & Kengo Yamamoto

Authors
  1. Kenji Endo
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  2. Hidekazu Suzuki
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  3. Hirosuke Nishimura
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  4. Hidetoshi Tanaka
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  5. Takaaki Shishido
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  6. Kengo Yamamoto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kenji Endo.

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Endo, K., Suzuki, H., Nishimura, H. et al. Sagittal lumbar and pelvic alignment in the standing and sitting positions. J Orthop Sci 17, 682–686 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00776-012-0281-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00776-012-0281-1

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