J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1982 Dec; 5(4): 163-9.

Static and dynamic roentgenography in the diagnosis of degenerative disc disease: a review and comparative assessment.

Vernon H.

The use of static-postural and dynamic-bending roentgenography by the medical and chiropractic professions was reviewed and a retrospective study of 30 symptomatic subjects was conducted to compare the diagnostic discrimination of dynamic lateral bending (DLB) procedures to that of a previously-reported static-postural method (Farfan) in determining the lumbar spine level which is most predisposed to the eventual development of degenerative disc disease. The level of correspondence in the sample was not found to be statistically significant and it was concluded, with some reservations regarding sample size, that present chiropractic DLB analysis of lumbosacral instability does not match the reliability of static analysis of morpho-anatomical configurations in predicting the eventual site of a degenerative disc disorder. The characteristics of vertebral motion segment (VMS) abnormalities are discussed, a refined DLB analysis scoring system is provided, and suggestions for improvement in such studies are given.