Normative value of core muscle strength using sphygmomanometer in mechanical low back pain : A Cross- Sectional Study
Description
Background: Core muscles are crucial for ensuring stability and strength in the abdominal, trunk, and lumbopelvic regions. College students often experience lower back pain due to sedentary lifestyles, prolonged computer usage, intense study habits, and incorrect sitting postures. Core stabilization exercises are effective in strengthening deep abdominal muscles using the abdominal drawing-in maneuver (ADIM). A sphygmomanometer is frequently used to evaluate core muscle strength. The mechanical low back pain scale (MLBP) and the straight leg raise test (SLR) are two reliable diagnostic techniques used to determine the severity of mechanical low back pain. Aim and objective: This study aims to investigate the normative value of core strength in participants with MLBP. Materials and Methods: A total of 116 female participants were recruited based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The participants had mechanical low back pain and were between 18-25 years of age. A sphygmomanometer was used to check the core muscle strength, three trials of 10 seconds and with one minute of rest required between each trial. It took 5- 8 minutes to obtain the higher pressure reading. The baseline characteristics were calculated using KOLMOGOROV and analyzed data with SPSS software. The median score with interquartile range (IQR) was used to determine the values of core strength. Results and discussion: A normative value of core muscle strength was observed in female participants in the supine position with a median rank of 65.00 with an interquartile range (IQR) of 60.00-70.00 in participants with mechanical low back pain. Conclusion: The study concluded that the sphygmomanometer is effective for clinical use due to its portability; comfort, cost-effectiveness, and ability to provide accurate measurement of core muscle strength with abdominal drawing-in maneuver technique in participants with mechanical low back pain. Keywords: Sphygmomanometer, core muscle strength, core stability, mechanical low back pain