A portable instrument for measuring bodily movement in the lumbar spinal area includes an articulated enclosure having a first housing fastened to the body of a subject by means of a first rigid plate. A hinged second housing is movably connected to a second plate. Both the first and second plates are adapted to be fixed behind the body of a subject with the second plated at a location vertically above the first plate. Transducers or sensors within the housings are used to measure hinged motion between the two housings, as well as relative transverse bending movement and torsional movement between the two plates. These relative movements produce electrical signals that directly correspond to the amount of flexion/extension, lateral bending and axial rotation occurring at the lumbar spine of a monitored subject.
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