Abstract
BackgroundThe presence of muscular deficiency seems to be a major cause of back pain that requires counteractions. Considering that the autochthonous back muscles, responsible for straightening and stabilizing the spine, cannot be activated voluntarily, they can be strengthened only through specific training. The computer-supported test and training system (CTT) Centaur (BfMC GmbH, Leipzig, SN, Germany) seems well suited for this purpose. To show its potential as a reliable diagnostic and training tool, this study aimed to evaluate the test-retest reliability of this 3D spatial rotation device.MethodsA prospective pilot study was conducted in 20 healthy volunteers of both sexes. For test-retest reliability analysis, three measurements were performed with a two-day interval between each measurement. Each measurement consisted of a one-minute endurance test performed in eight different positions (transverse plane). During the test, the subject was tilted by 90° in the sagittal plane from a neutral, upright position. Meanwhile, the subject’s level of upper body stabilization along the body axis was assessed. All trunk movements (momentum values) were quantified by a multicomponent force sensor and standardized relative to the subject’s upper body mass. The range of motion was assessed by 95% confidence ellipse analysis. Here, all position-specific confidence ellipses for each measurement were merged to a summarized quantity. Finally, ICC analysis using a single-rating, absolute agreement, two-way mixed-effects model and a Bland-Altman plot was performed to determine the reliability.ResultsConsidering all measurements (t1, t2, t3), the ICC for reliability evaluation was 0.805, and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was [0.643, 0.910]. Moreover, the Bland-Altman plots for all three pairs of time points did not show significant differences.ConclusionThis study concludes that the CTT Centaur shows good test-retest reliability, indicating it can be used in clinical practice in the future.
Highlights
The presence of muscular deficiency seems to be a major cause of back pain that requires counteractions
To counteract this development and reduce low back pain, spinal stabilization exercises, which lead to muscle formation, are highly recommended [16, 19]
These criteria were determined on the basis of the specifications of the certified investigator, local ethics committee, and device manufacturer (BfMC GmbH, Leipzig, SN, Germany)
Summary
The presence of muscular deficiency seems to be a major cause of back pain that requires counteractions. Pain is commonly associated with a decrease in physical activity [14], which in turn, has adverse effects on the musculature To counteract this development and reduce low back pain, spinal stabilization exercises, which lead to muscle formation, are highly recommended [16, 19]. To control the position of the upper body during training, visual markers were previously fixed to the subject and monitored by a camera This visual control system has been replaced by a restraint system (shoulder bracket) with an integrated multicomponent force sensor (strain gauges). Previous studies have reported its value in trunk muscle training, which was assessed by surface electromyography (EMG) [1] This method has been proven to be highly errorprone due to the slippage of electrodes [11], which is why it is not practicable in clinical applications. This method is not practicable in clinical practice because it is highly invasive
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