Physical Endurance
Conditions
Keywords
aging, lower back pain, physical activity level, body mass index, core muscle endurance, gender, McGill V-sit, Biering-Sorensen, sideplank
Brief summary
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate a possible correlation between core muscle endurance and participants' age in healthy adult population. Secondary purpose was to identify other dependent variables influencing isometric core muscle endurance (e.g. low back pain, physical activity, gender, body mass index). Methods: 48 (35 females, 13 males) healthy adults (aged 21-66 years) performed 4 isometric core muscle endurance tests- Biering-Sorensen, McGill V-sit, right and left side plank. A correlation between core endurance and age, gender, lower back pain (LBP), physical activity level (PAL), and body mass index (BMI) was calculated.
Detailed description
This is the first study to investigate the core muscle endurance of different age groups and genders with all four endurance tests of the core. Since strength and endurance are key to keeping healthy as we age and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and European guidelines advocate them, this study aims to look at the 3 main measurements of core endurance namely flexor, extensor and lateral muscles, and the possible correlations with age, PAL, existence of LBP, BMI and gender. Each participant performed 4 isometric core endurance tests in the same order- 1. Biering-Sorensen, 2.-3. side plank on both sides, and 4. McGill V-sit. All participants were tested by the same tester to reduce potential differences in procedure and testing error. The four tests were each measured using a stopwatch and documented in seconds. Each participant was told the time they had reached during testing to improve their motivation. Pain during testing was documented. Based on the normative data of abdominal muscle endurance for young adults Null hypothesis (H0)- There is no significant difference in endurance tests for age, presence of LBP or PAL. Hypothesis (H1)- Any significant difference in endurance tests for age, presence of LBP or PAL are due to chance factors. This is a two-tailed hypothesis, as previous evidence shows conflicting results. Pearson's correlation and Independent T-test in SPSS (The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) were used to confirm or reject the possible correlations between the core muscle endurance and age, LBP, PAL, gender, BMI, and participants' job.
Interventions
OTHERisometric core muscle endurance testing
holding previously described isometric positions until fatigue
Sponsors
University of Salford
Hanna Holmberg
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SCREENING
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
20 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* aged 20-70 (working age population) * healthy * active and non-active * with or without non-specific lower back pain
Exclusion criteria
* all serious pathologies and diagnosis that could affect the ability to perform the tests safely including acute pain, neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular diseases, spinal pathologies (e.g. spondylitis, acute herniated disc, cauda equina, hypertension, epilepsy, tumour, previous fracture or surgery in trunk, structured deformity, osteoporosis) * sudden change in health * personal reasons * severe pain during testing * competing in any sports higher than amateur level
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Core Muscle Endurance | at the time of testing, in 1 hour | time in seconds after summing the results of all 4 tests |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Body Mass Index | during the time of testing, in 1 h | weight(kg)/height(cm)2 Value under 18.5 is considered underweight, over 25 overweight, and over 30 obese. |
| Physical Activity Level Questionnaire | at the time of testing, last 2 weeks | physical activity level based on national and international recommendations |
| Number of Participants Who Have Experienced Non-specific Lower Back Pain | up to 6 months before the assessment | categorical data, experience of nonspecific low back pain up to 6 months before the assessment |
Countries
United Kingdom
Participant flow
Recruitment details
Participants were recruited from the general population with different lifestyles and jobs.
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Healthy Working Age Population isometric core muscle endurance tests (McGill V-sit, Biering-Sorensen and sideplank)
isometric core muscle endurance testing: holding previously described isometric positions until fatigue | 48 |
| Total | 48 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Healthy Working Age Population | — |
|---|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 0 Participants | — |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 1 Participants | — |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 47 Participants | — |
| Age, Continuous | 40 years | — |
| Body Mass Index | 23.8 Kg/m^2 | — |
| Number of participants considered active | 27 Participants | — |
| Number of participants who have experienced non-specific lower back pain | 15 Participants | — |
| Race and Ethnicity Not Collected | — | — Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 35 Participants | — |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 13 Participants | — |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk |
|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 48 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 12 / 48 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 48 |
Outcome results
Primary
Core Muscle Endurance
time in seconds after summing the results of all 4 tests
Time frame: at the time of testing, in 1 hour
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy Working Age Population | Core Muscle Endurance | 530.5 seconds | Standard Error 34.6 |
Secondary
Body Mass Index
weight(kg)/height(cm)2 Value under 18.5 is considered underweight, over 25 overweight, and over 30 obese.
Time frame: during the time of testing, in 1 h
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy Working Age Population | Body Mass Index | 23.8 units on a scale |
Secondary
Number of Participants Who Have Experienced Non-specific Lower Back Pain
categorical data, experience of nonspecific low back pain up to 6 months before the assessment
Time frame: up to 6 months before the assessment
| Arm | Measure | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy Working Age Population | Number of Participants Who Have Experienced Non-specific Lower Back Pain | 15 Participants |
Secondary
Physical Activity Level Questionnaire
physical activity level based on national and international recommendations
Time frame: at the time of testing, last 2 weeks
| Arm | Measure | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy Working Age Population | Physical Activity Level Questionnaire | 27 Participants |