Validation of Goniometric Method in the Assessment of Lordosis by Radiographic Analysis

Background & Aims: Cervical spine is prone to various abnormalities and sport injuries. There is still no non-aggressive measurement instrument with high reliability for easy and rapid assessment of cervical spine secondary complications. The aim of this research was to investigate the validity of goniometric method for cervical lordosis measurement through radiography. Method: In this study, 16 female students of Kerman Bahonar University with mean age of 19.81±1.06 years, mean weight of 56.56±2.78kg, and mean height of 1.60±1.96m who had forward head deformity, were participated. The measurements of deformity were made by goniometry and radiography. Radiography images were analyzed with Kapandji, Cobb, Harrison methods and a similar goniometric method. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used for comparison of goniometric and Radiographic results. Results: There was a significant correlation between the results of goniometry and the similar method on radiographic images in measuring cervical lordosis deformity (r=0.945, P<0.01), but no significant correlation was found between goniometry and other measurement methods. Conclusion: Since goniometry showed low validity in the assessments of cervical lordosis, it is not suitable for the evaluation of cervical lordosis.