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Research Objectives
To establish the concurrent validity and test-retest reliability of the formal test.
Design
Two-group test-retest reliability design.
Setting
1) A certified physical therapist uses a formal test as a pressure biofeedback unit
(PBU) to classify the participants into core stability groups and instability groups.
2) Perform a formal test on each group and measure the thickness of abdominal muscles
with real-time ultrasound (US).
3) Investigate the correlation between the thickness of abdominal muscles and PBU
pressure.
4) Re-measure after 24 hours to verify test-retest reliability.
Participants
11 young adults with core instability (8 men and 3 women) were able to successfully
perform the formal test three consecutive times and completed the abdominal draw-in
maneuver core stabilization training augmented by PBU-US-EMG feedback, for 20 minutes
a day, 7 days a week, over two weeks.11 young adults with core stability (8 men and
3 women) were unable to successfully perform the formal test three consecutive times.
Interventions
No intervention.
Main Outcome Measures
1) Real-time US and surface EMG to measure the thickness of deep abdominal and superficial
trunk muscle activity.
2) PBU pressure under the abdomen.
Results
The Pearson's correlation analysis showed an excellent correlation between transverse
abdominal (TrA) thickness and PBU pressure as well as internal oblique (IO) thickness
and PBU pressure, ranging from r=0.856 – 0.980, P < 0.05. The test-retest reliability
was good, ICC1,2 = 0.876 for the core stability pressure measure and ICC1,2 = 0.939
to 0.989 for the abdominal muscle thickness measure.
Conclusions
Our findings demonstrate that the formal test, using a PBU and real-time US imaging
without confirming the minimal contraction of superficial trunk muscles, as evidenced
by EMG, leads to incorrect results. For example, such results in adults or individuals
with core instability pathology ultimately influence rehabilitation programs designed
to improve core stability. Therefore, the combination of a PBU, real-time US, and
surface EMG measurements may help obtain more reliable results from the formal tests
and better understand the neuromuscular control mechanisms of core stability.
Author(s) Disclosures
There are no conflicts.
Keywords
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Copyright
© 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc.
