Open AccessComparison between the Original- and a Standardized Version of a Physical Assessment Test for the Dorsal Chain - A Cohort-Based Cross Sectional Study
Author(s) -
Anna Gabriel,
Florian Kurt Paternoster,
Andreas Konrad,
Thomas Horstmann,
Torsten Pohl
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of sports science and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.815
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 1303-2968
DOI - 10.52082/jssm.2022.182
Subject(s) - medicine , electromyography , linear regression , pelvis , dorsum , biceps , cohort , wilcoxon signed rank test , anatomy , physical medicine and rehabilitation , mathematics , statistics , mann–whitney u test
This cohort-based cross-sectional study compares the original (OV) and a newly developed standardized version (SV) of the Bunkie Test, a physical test used to assess the dorsal chain muscles. Twenty-three participants (13 females, 10 males; median age of 26 ± 3 years) performed the test, a reverse plank, with one foot on a stool and the contralateral leg lifted. In the SV, the position of the pelvis and the foot were predefined. The test performance time (s) and surface electromyography (sEMG) signals of the dorsal chain muscles were recorded. We performed a median power frequency (MPF) analysis, using short-time Fourier transformation, and calculated the MPF/time linear regression slope. We compared the slopes of the linear regression analysis (between legs) and the performance times (between the OV and SV) with the Wilcoxon test. Performance times did not differ between SV and OV for either the dominant (p = 0.28) or non-dominant leg (p = 0.08). Linear regression analysis revealed a negative slope for the muscles of the tested leg and contralateral erector spinae, with a significant difference between the biceps femoris of the tested (-0.91 ± 1.08) and contralateral leg (0.01 ± 1.62) in the SV (p = 0.004). The sEMG showed a clearer pattern in the SV than in the OV. Hence, we recommend using the SV to assess the structures of the dorsal chain of the tested leg and contralateral back.