Evaluación de un marco de referencia postural como prueba diagnóstica de postura lordótica lumbar

introduction: studying lumbar lordosis (ll) in large patient populations is not a practical approach due to the technical limitations of the gold standard. objective: determine the specificity of a postural reference frame (prf) in the diagnosis of ll. methods: a prf (wooden frame using strings as a reference for measuring the distance between lumbar curvature and the glutei) was used as a diagnostic test to asses ll. the ferguson angle, a radiologic evaluation, was used as gold standard. specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value (ppv), and negative predictive value (npv) of the prf were determined. results: one hundred and ten subjects were studied (58 women, 52 men). mean age was 18.8 ± 3 years, weight 63 ± 12 kg, height 164 ± 8 cm and body mass index (bmi) 23.2 ± 4 kg/m2. with a cut-off point 37 cm, test specificity w as 94%, sensitivity was 17%, ppv was 50%, and npv was 75%. conclusion: the postural reference frame as an assessment tool is highly specific and can aid in the diagnosis of ll among young asymptomatic patients.