title: Validation of an abdominal muscle strength test with dynamometry.
abstract: Adequate abdominal strength prevents work- and sports-related injuries and stabilizes the spine for athletic activities. The double-leg-lowering maneuver (DLLM) is a popular test to assess abdominal strength because of its simplicity; however, its validity and reliability have not been studied thoroughly. To determine the validity and reliability of the DLLM, 4 examiners evaluated 28 subjects. The validity of the DLLM was evaluated with the Nicholas Hand-Held Dynamometer (NHHD) as the gold standard. The DLLM scores were compared to themselves for reliability and to NHHD scores for validity. Reliability for the DLLM was very high (r = 0.932). Validity of the DLLM was low (r = -0.338 to -0.446). The DLLM is reliable, but it has low validity to assess abdominal strength. The DLLM may be a useful tool to assess pelvic tilt motor control for spine stability, but it is not suitable for assessing muscle strength.
authors.affiliation: College of Allied Health, Health Profession Division, Physical Therapy Program, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33328, USA. cladeira@nova.edu
authors.forename: Carlos E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Ladeira
authors.forename: Larry W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: Benjamin M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Galin
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fradera
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Harkness
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013178:Sports Medicine / Q000295:instrumentation*; D016683:Supine Position / Q000502:physiology