European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
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Coupling motions (CMs) are the motions occurring in different directions around the primary motion. As low back pain (LBP) is known to be associated with lumbar CMs, some studies measured lumbar CMs using the microelectromechanical system inertial measurement unit (MEMS-IMU) because of its low cost and small size. This study aimed to examine the reliability of lumbar CM measurements using the MEMS-IMU and to classify the individual characteristics of lumbar CMs. ⋯ Lumbar CM measurements obtained using the MEMS-IMU are reliable, and identifying the individual variations of lumbar CMs may be helpful for alleviating chronic or recurrent LBP.