Core stability: inter- and intraobserver reliability of 6 clinical tests.
OBJECTIVE
Core stability is a complex concept within sports medicine and is thought to play a role in sports injuries. There is a lack of reliable and valid clinical tests for core stability. The inter- and intraobserver reliability of 6 tests commonly used to assess core stability was determined.


METHODS
A video of the tests was shown to 6 observers. A second observation took place 5 weeks later with the same observers.


METHODS
Sports medicine department of a hospital.


METHODS
Forty male athletes. ASSESSMENT OF VARIABLES: Core stability was rated as poor, moderate, good, or excellent by each observer for each of the 6 tests.


METHODS
Inter- and intraobserver reliability.


RESULTS
The mean score of all tests was 13.4% poor, 33.3% moderate, 40.1% good, and 13.2% excellent. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs 2,1) for the interobserver reliability for frontal, sagittal, and transverse plane evaluation were 0.09, 0.32, and 0.51, respectively. The ICCs for the unilateral squat, the lateral step-down, and the bridge were 0.41, 0.39, and 0.36, respectively. The ICCs for the intraobserver reliability for frontal, sagittal, and transverse plane evaluation were 0.31, 0.40, and 0.55, respectively. The ICCs for the unilateral squat, the lateral step-down, and the bridge were 0.55, 0.49, and 0.21, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The 6 clinical core stability tests are not reliable when a 4-point visual scoring assessment is used. Future research on movement evaluation should be focused on more specific rating methods and training for the observers.
Weir
Adam
A
Department of Sports Medicine, The Hague Medical Centre, Antoniushove, PO Box 411, Burgemeester Banninglaan 1, 2260 AK Leidschendam, the Netherlands. a.weir@mchaaglanden.com
Darby
Jennifer
J
Inklaar
Han
H
Koes
Bart
B
Bakker
Erik
E
Tol
Johannes L
JL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D053587:Arthrometry, Articular; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013178:Sports Medicine; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D055815:Young Adult