Reliability of an Adapted Core Strength Endurance Test Battery in Individuals with Axial Spondylarthritis

Overview

Journal Clin Rheumatol

Publisher Springer

Specialty Rheumatology

Date 2020 Sep 22

PMID 32959189

Citations 3

Authors

Anne-Kathrin Rausch

Philipp Baltisberger

Andre Meichtry

Beatrice Topalidis

Adrian Ciurea

Theodora P M Vliet Vlieland

Karin Niedermann

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: To adapt the core strength endurance test battery (aCSE), previously used for testing athletes, to a target group of patients with axial spondylarthritis (axSpA), to evaluate its intra-tester reliability and its associations with disease-specific factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at axSpA exercise therapy groups, including both axSpA patients and the physiotherapist group leaders (PTs). The aCSE was used to measure the isometric strength endurance of the ventral, lateral, and dorsal core muscle chains (measured in seconds), as well as to assess the disease-specific factors of functional status, self-reported pain, and perceived strength performance. The aCSE was repeated after 7-14 days to measure intra-tester reliability for the same rater (PT group leader). Reliability was calculated as an intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) using a nested design. The associations between ventral, lateral, and dorsal strength endurance and the disease-specific factors were calculated using Pearson correlation coefficients.

Results: Study participants were 13 PT group leaders and 62 axSpA patients. The latter were all capable of performing the aCSE, with the exception of one individual. A moderate to substantial intra-rater reliability (ICCs (95%CI)) was found for the ventral (0.54 (0.35, 0.74)), lateral (0.52 (0.33, 0.70)), and dorsal (0.71 (0.58, 0.86)) core muscle chains. None of the aCSE measures correlated with the disease-specific factors.

Conclusion: The aCSE was found to be a reliable test battery for assessing core strength endurance in axSpA patients. Interestingly, aCSE performance was not associated with any disease-specific factors. Key Points • The adapted core strength endurance test battery measures the isometric strength of the ventral, lateral and dorsal core muscle chains. • The adapted core strength endurance test battery showed a moderate to substantial intra-rater reliability for all three muscle chains tested in axSpA patients. • No correlations were found between the adapted core strength endurance test battery and the disease-specific factors of self-reported pain, functional status and perceived strength performance.

Citing Articles

Strength and Power-Related Measures in Assessing Core Muscle Performance in Sport and Rehabilitation.

Zemkova E Front Physiol. 2022; 13:861582.

PMID: 35586718 PMC: 9108269. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.861582.

Lessons learned from a pilot implementation of physical activity recommendations in axial spondyloarthritis exercise group therapy.

Rausch Osthoff A, Vliet Vlieland T, Meichtry A, van Bodegom-Vos L, Topalidis B, Buchi S BMC Rheumatol. 2022; 6(1):12.

PMID: 35034652 PMC: 8762948. DOI: 10.1186/s41927-021-00233-z.

Treat-to-target in axial spondyloarthritis - what about physical function and activity?.

Braun J, Baraliakos X, Kiltz U Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2021; 17(9):565-576.

PMID: 34312518 DOI: 10.1038/s41584-021-00656-5.

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