Abstract
A cause of limited physical activity levels in youth is the presence of low back pain (LBP), therefore proper assessment of low back function in physical education settings is needed to identify children who may be at risk. The purpose of this study was to determine the concurrent and criterion-referenced validity of field tests of low back and core muscular endurance in school-aged children. The sample consisted of 4th through 10th grade students (N = 370) who completed low back and core muscular fitness tests on four separate testing days during their physical education classes. Field measures related to low back function included the Box 90˚ Trunk Extension (Box 90˚) and the FITNESSGRAM Trunk Extension (FG-TE). Field measures related to overall core function consisted of a Lateral Plank, Prone Plank, and a Static and Dynamic Curl-up. Criterion measures of low-back muscular endurance included the Parallel Roman Chair Dynamic Trunk Extension (PRC-DTE) and the Parallel Roman Chair Static Trunk Extension (PRC-STE). Multivariate analysis using canonical correlations showed moderate correlations between low back and core measures (P < .001). The Lateral Plank, Prone Plank, and Dynamic Curl-up had moderate-to-strong canonical cross-loadings with the low back measure variate. The FG-TE displayed an insignificant canonical coefficient, and weak canonical loadings and cross-loadings. Measures of overall core function also significantly agreed with the criterion measures in classifying students into ranked tertile groups (P < .001). These results suggest that assessment of specific low back muscular function can be easily evaluated using tests of overall core muscular endurance as an alternative to the FG-TE in physical education settings.
Highlights
Low back pain (LBP) is the most common cause of disability among individuals under the age of 45 (CalvoMunoz, Gomez-Conesa, & Sanchez-Meca, 2013; Cunningham & Kelsey, 1984) with an estimated annual cost of 20 to 50 billion from injury compensation, medical treatment, and lost workdays (Dagenais, Caro, & Halderman, 2008; Oliver, Adams-Blair, & Dougherty, 2010)
The FITNESSGRAM Trunk Extension (FG-TE) had relatively weak correlations with the criterion measures compared to the other field tests
The concurrent validity evidence when evaluating the low back field tests against the criterion measures showed that the strongest Pearson correlation coefficients were seen between the Box 90 ̊ and Parallel Roman Chair Dynamic Trunk Extension (PRC-DTE)
Summary
Low back pain (LBP) is the most common cause of disability among individuals under the age of 45 (CalvoMunoz, Gomez-Conesa, & Sanchez-Meca, 2013; Cunningham & Kelsey, 1984) with an estimated annual cost of 20 to 50 billion from injury compensation, medical treatment, and lost workdays (Dagenais, Caro, & Halderman, 2008; Oliver, Adams-Blair, & Dougherty, 2010). Research has shown a relationship between back extensor muscular endurance and LBP (Alaranta, Luoto, Heliovaara, & Hurri, 1995; Auvinen, Tammelin, Taimela, Zitting, & Karppinen, 2008; Biering-Sorenson, 1984). A subsequent study found that individuals who had poor performance on the Biering-Sorenson muscular endurance test were three times more likely to have LBP than those who demonstrated greater performance (Alaranta, Luoto, Heliovaara, & Hurri, 1995). Other studies have supported these findings regarding trunk extensor muscular endurance and LBP in the adult population (Jorgenson & Nicolaisen, 1987; Latimer, Maher, Refshauge, & Colaco, 1999; Nicolaisen & Jorgensen, 1985). Other research has supported a link between back extensor muscular endurance and LBP in youth (Balague, Troussier, & Salminen, 1999; Newcomer & Sinaki, 1996)
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