The shape of the spine in older adults may help predict whether they will be disabled . This is clear from a Japanese study that included eight hundred subjects who were around 65 years old and who underwent four types of spinal measurements. The researchers found that only one of the measures was associated with future dependence on outside help to be able to carry out activities of daily living.
The measure that predicted the need for assistance is known as the "degree of trunk lean ." This is the angle between the vertical and straight level line from the first thoracic vertebra (near the head) to the first sacral vertebra (at the bottom of the spine), the researchers explained.
During four and a half years of follow-up, about 16 percent of the participants became dependent, and those with the highest degree of spinal tilt were about three and a half times more likely to need assistance than the rest.
