Therapy Lumbar Spine Side Lateral Flexion

Have the person lie on their side in a relaxed position with slightly bent hips and knees. The therapist moves the lower part of the pelvis slightly caudally to align the lumbar spine in a straight line. Both legs are moved by the therapist, both forward and backward, to bring the lumbar spine into a mid-position. Palpate the crista Iliaca and locate the interspinous space of L4-L5 and L5-S1.

The therapist approaches the person from the front and flexes the lumbar spine by shifting it in dorsal direction. The therapist's fingers rest on the processi spinosus of two vertically aligned vertebrae. The shift is directed towards the lower vertebra, allowing the hand to permit the shift and apply slight traction to the processus spinosus caudally. Simultaneously, the movement of the upper vertebra is slightly inhibited. This results in a translational movement of the upper vertebra forward relative to the lower vertebra, accompanied by a tilting movement. The manually performed flexion movement of each vertebra in the lumbar spine follows the physiological biomechanical path.