American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Certification Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Study for the ABIM Certification Exam. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions, with hints and explanations for each. Get ready to succeed!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

The Schober test indicates a normal lumbar spine motion at what measurement?

3 cm
4 cm
5 cm
6 cm

The correct answer is: 4 cm

The Schober test is a clinical assessment used to evaluate the flexibility and mobility of the lumbar spine, particularly in conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis. In this test, measurements are taken from specific points on the lumbar spine while the patient stands and then bends forward. A normal result on the Schober test indicates that there is sufficient movement in the lumbar spine during this forward flexion. Typically, a measurement increase of 4 cm or more from the standing position to the maximum forward bending position is considered indicative of normal lumbar spine motion. Therefore, a measurement of 4 cm reflects the threshold for normal mobility in this context. While other measurements suggest varying degrees of lumbar motion, 4 cm is established as the benchmark for normal findings in the Schober test. The other options, lower or higher than 4 cm, do not align with this standard definition of normal range in lumbar spine mobility.