title: Reliability and Validity of Transversus Abdominis Measurement at the Posterior Muscle-Fascia Junction with Ultrasonography in Asymptomatic Participants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purposes of this study were (1) to establish the intrarater sliding and change in thickness of the transversus abdominis (TrA) measurement at the posterior muscle-fascia junction and (2) to examine the relationship between the muscle thickness and sliding of the TrA at the anterior and posterior sites.
  
  
  METHODS
  Asymptomatic participants (n = 20) were placed into the hook-lying position to perform the abdominal drawing-in maneuver viewed in B-mode with a 5- to 12-MHz linear ultrasound transducer. The outcome variables included the resting thickness, the thickness during contraction, the change of thickness, and the change of sliding length. Both intraclass correlation coefficient and Pearson correlation were used for analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Measuring the thickness and sliding of the TrA at the posterior muscle-fascia junction showed good reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient (3,3), 0.89-0.98). The correlations between the sliding measurements of the TrA at the anterior and posterior sites were moderate to good (r = 0.41-0.74).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found that measuring the musculofascial corset from the posterior site using ultrasonography is reliable, allowing for ultrasound measurements at both the anterior and posterior sites of the TrA to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the TrA fascia.
authors.affiliation: Physical Therapist, Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yen-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Lecturer, School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Huei-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.affiliation: Lecturer, Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jing-Lan
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Physical Therapist, Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ya-Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Professor, School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: sfwang@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Shwu-Fen
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000328:Adult; D005205:Fascia / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: Abdominal Muscles; Fascia; Ultrasonography