Sagittal radiographic measurements of the cervical and lumbar vertebrae in normal adults

Lateral radiographs of 157 healthy adult males have been measured to obtain geometrical dimensions of cervical and lumbar vertebrae. Measurements were based on five bony landmarks which can be easily defined in radiographs. The measurements enable the determination of 11 dimensions that are used for anthropometric evaluations of the human vertebrae. We found the cervical vertebrae increasing slightly in width from C3 to C7, while the width of the lumbar vertebrae remained almost constant. The width and height of lumbar vertebrae were approximately twice those of the cervical ones. The purpose of this paper is to present a set of anthropometric measurements which were performed on radiographs of healthy human males. There is a need for a quantitative data base for geometrical and mechanical models of the vertebral column (Pennal et al, 1972; Rizzi et al, 1975) but no comprehensive anthropometric survey for spinal segments has been published. The data presented serve as a sufficiently accurate data base for anthropometric, biomechanical and ergonomic purposes. The complete study, which was published as a Technical Report (Gilad & Nissan, 1982), includes statistical analysis of the various measurements, distributions of vertebral dimensions for height, weight and age of subjects, as well as biomechanical considerations such as location of vertebrae on the spine and intervertebral spacings; information which is essential for modelling the human vertebral column (Schultz et al, 1973).