ADVANCES IN THE MEASUREMENT AND INTERPRETATION OF INTERVERTEBRAL MOTION IN THE LUMBAR SPINE: A SCOPING REVIEW

Conflicts of interest: ‘No conflicts of interest’ Sources of funding: ‘No funding obtained’ Background Intervertebral motion is a key component of spinal biomechanics and plays a central role in understanding lumbar function, pain generation, and clinical decision-making. Numerous techniques have been developed to measure and interpret in vivo lumbar intervertebral motion, each offering unique strengths and constraints. Despite this diversity, the field lacks a unified taxonomy that clearly differentiates study types and methodological approaches. This scoping review sought to map, characterise and organise the range of study designs used to investigate lumbar intervertebral motion in living subjects. Methods and Results A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) framework and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Studies were eligible if they were published in English, involved living human participants, and used objective methods to capture motion sequences of the lumbar spine. Comprehensive searches of PubMed, CINAHL and SCOPUS were undertaken for publications from January 2000 to October 2025. After duplicate removal, titles and abstracts were screened, followed by full-text assessment. Data were charted under predefined headings capturing study purpose, technology, participant characteristics, measurement approach, interpretive methods, radiation exposure and key findings. Forty-nine studies met inclusion criteria. These were grouped into 11 study types, forming six overarching categories: normal biomechanical mechanisms, pathological or injury mechanisms, direct kinematic measurement, spinal stabilisation, dynamic radiography and clinical markers. Conclusion This review provides a structured taxonomy that clarifies the methodological landscape of lumbar intervertebral motion research. The framework offers researchers, clinicians and policymakers a coherent reference to support study design, enhance comparability and promote greater standardisation across the field. The paper has just recently been published: Breen, A., Breen, A., Branney, J., du Rose, A., & Nematimoez, M. (2026). Advances in the Measurement and Interpretation of Intervertebral Motion in the Lumbar Spine: A Scoping Review. Bioengineering, 13 (2), 239. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering13020239