What is lateral flexion of the cervical spine?
What is lateral flexion of the cervical spine?
Movement of a body part to the side is called lateral flexion. This type of movement is commonly associated with the neck and spine. For example, when you move your head toward one of your shoulders or bend your body sideways, you’re performing a lateral flexion.
What muscles do cervical lateral flexion?
Movements and muscles in the cervical spine and head
| Movement | Muscles |
|---|---|
| Lateral flexion | Scalene anterior, medius and posterior Sternocleidomastoid Splenius capitis Trapezius Erector spinae Rectus capitis lateralis (head only) |
What plane of motion is cervical lateral flexion?
sagittal plane
The neck moves in all three planes of motion. Flexion and extension happen in the frontal plane. Rotation happens in the transverse plane, and lateral flexion takes place in the sagittal plane.
What is normal cervical spine flexion?
The cervical spine’s range of motion is approximately 80° to 90° of flexion, 70° of extension, 20° to 45° of lateral flexion, and up to 90° of rotation to both sides.
What is normal neck flexion?
In neck flexion, a normal range of motion is 40 to 80 degrees, which is measured by a device called a goniometer. This shows how far you can move your neck without experiencing pain, discomfort, or resistance.
Why does the cervical spine rotate with lateral flexion?
Lateral flexion is possible as a combined movement in the cervical column but only due to coupled rotational movement in each segment to that side. General flexion and extension motion of the neck does not necessarily reflect the movement among vertebrae in the cervical spine.
What is the plane and axis for cervical flexion?
Planes/axis of movement: Movement occurs in the frontal plane around an anterior/posterior axis and occurs segmentally along the cervical vertebrae. There is a component of rotation that occurs to allow for full movement of the head.
Where does the most flexion occur in the cervical spine?
Approximately 50% of cervical flexion-extension and rotation occurs in the upper cervical spine (occiput-C2), with the remainder distributed among the subaxial segments.
What is normal cervical flexion?
approximately 80° to 90°
The cervical spine’s range of motion is approximately 80° to 90° of flexion, 70° of extension, 20° to 45° of lateral flexion, and up to 90° of rotation to both sides.
What is normal cervical extension?
The normal cervical range of motion is. Flexion – 80 to 90 degrees. Extension – 70 degrees. Lateral flexion – 20 to 45 degrees on both sides. Rotation – 90° of rotation to both sides.
How do you measure cervical flexion?
To assess cervical flexion, ask the patient to nod forward and bring their chin towards their chest. Normal cervical flexion is usually approximately 80º.
How is cervical spine flexion measured?
Tape Measure The lowest end of the sternal notch should be identified as the fixed point or reference point. Then, ask the patient to flex and extend their neck. Measure the distance between the reference point to chin during maximal flexion and extension (5).
