Where should inclinometers be placed to measure lumbar flexion?

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When measuring lumbar flexion with inclinometers, you want to capture the movement of the lumbar spine while keeping the pelvis stable so hip and thoracic motions don’t skew the reading. Using two inclinometers achieves this: one placed at the level of the thoracolumbar junction (around T12) and the other at the sacrum (S1). The sensor near T12 tracks how much the upper lumbar region moves, while the sensor at S1 anchors the pelvis. As the person bends forward, the difference between the two readings reflects the amount of lumbar flexion specifically, not hip flexion or upper thoracic motion.

This setup minimizes contributions from the thoracic spine (by selecting T12 as the proximal reference) and from the pelvis/hips (by anchoring at S1). If the pelvis moves or if the sensors are placed too high or too low, the measurement can include non-lumbar motion, leading to less accurate lumbar flexion assessment.