14 reported very high reliability during a single day testing session. Loudon et al.15 reported moderate to very high intra-rater reliability when performing five functional tests on individuals with knee
pain. Following a thorough review of the literature, 35 different tests that may relate to core stability were identified and classified in five different groups. All of these parameters could potentially help us understand core stability if we know they can be measured reliably. The objective of our study was to introduce, measure, and compare the reliability of these 35 tests, all which can be performed in a clinical setting. Most of these measures are used in clinics by the same clinician to evaluate training effects, rehabilitation progress, or other concerns over a period of time. We will evaluate the reliability of BMN 673 order one rater over time as our first attempt. We hypothesized parameters in each of the five groups:
strength, endurance, flexibility, motor control, and function, would be equally reliable. Fifteen active, right lower extremity dominant, college-age males (age: 21.2 ± 1.3 year, weight: 74.1 ± 13.4 kg, height: 1.6 ± 0.1 m) recruited from a local university volunteered for the study. Lower extremity dominance was determined by asking the participant “if you were to kick a soccer ball as hard as you could, which leg would you use?” The leg chosen was classified as the dominant leg. All participants Depsipeptide concentration reported the absence of any orthopedic injury to their trunk and extremities within the past year. The participants provided informed consent, as approved by the local Institutional Review Board, prior to data collection. A physical therapist with 7 years of clinical experience, with an assistant, performed the tests. A test-retest design was used to assess the intra-rater reliability for all 35 core stability related measurements, with the examiner blinded from the results between sessions. All participants were required to attend two testing sessions separated by 7 days. For both sessions, all tests were performed also in random order between and within the testing categories, except for
the endurance tests. The endurance tests were performed in a within category random order last due to the fatiguing nature of the tests. Each participant’s age, weight, and height were recorded prior to session one. A 5-min warm-up was performed by walking on a treadmill with self-selected speed before each testing session. The strength tests were eight isometric tests and an isoinertial test. The isometric tests were performed on a Biodex System 3 Pro (Biodex Medical Systems, Inc., Shirley, NY, USA). Isometric strength measurements followed modified protocols described by Essendrop et al.16 and Nadler et al.8 Maximal isometric strength for trunk flexion and extension, bilateral hip extension, abduction, and external rotation was recorded.