Reliability of alternative trunk endurance testing procedures using clinician stabilization vs. traditional methods

Area of Science:

• Kinesiology
• Sports Medicine
• Physical Therapy

Background:

• Trunk endurance is crucial for physical performance and injury prevention.
• Standard (ST) testing methods for trunk endurance require specific equipment, limiting accessibility.
• A need exists for reliable and practical alternatives to existing trunk endurance tests.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and validity of a modified (MOD) trunk endurance testing method.
• To compare the MOD method with the established standard (ST) testing procedure for trunk flexion and extension endurance.

Main Methods:

• Fifty healthy college-aged subjects participated in the study.
• Subjects underwent both the ST and MOD testing procedures for trunk flexion and extension endurance, separated by one week.
• The MOD procedure involved clinician stabilization, while the ST procedure used belt stabilization.

Main Results:

• The MOD procedure demonstrated high interrater reliability: 0.97 for extension and 0.93 for flexion.
• Strong correlations were found between the MOD and ST procedures: 0.90 for extension and 0.84 for flexion.
• The MOD method proved to be a reliable alternative to the ST method.

Conclusions:

• The modified (MOD) trunk endurance testing method is a reliable and valid alternative to the standard (ST) method.
• The MOD method is practical for athletic training and weight rooms lacking specialized equipment.
• This approach offers increased efficiency and time savings for testing large groups.