Open AccessIntra-examiner and inter-examiner reliability of rehabilitative ultrasound imaging for lumbar multifidus and anterolateral abdominal muscles in females with recurrent low back pain: an observational, cross-sectional study
Author(s) -
Hamid Zamani,
Mahdi Dadgoo,
M Akbari,
Javad Sarrafzadeh,
Mohammadreza Pourahmadi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of ultrasonography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.146
H-Index - 3
eISSN - 2451-070X
pISSN - 2084-8404
DOI - 10.15557/jou.2021.0049
Subject(s) - medicine , supine position , lumbar , ultrasound , multifidus muscle , low back pain , anatomy , nuclear medicine , radiology , surgery , alternative medicine , pathology
Aim: To examine the reliability of rehabilitative ultrasound imaging performed tomeasure the thickness of the transverse abdominis, internal oblique, external oblique,and lumbar multifidus muscles in females with recurrent low back pain. Material andmethods: A sample of 15 women was recruited. Two independent examiners recorded thethickness of their deep abdominal and spinal muscles by rehabilitative ultrasoundimaging. Imaging scans of the transverse abdominis, internal oblique, and externaloblique muscles were performed in the supine position and in the midaxillary line,between the lower edge of the ribcage and the iliac crest. Imaging of the lumbarmultifidus was done in the prone position and at the level of the L5/S1 zygapophysealjoints. Imaging scans were performed bilaterally in rest and contraction, three times bythe first examiner (at baseline, after two hours, and one week later) and once by thesecond examiner. Results: Good to excellent within-session intra-rater (ICC = 0.76,0.97), good to excellent between-session intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.73, 0.93), andgood to excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.73, 0.98) were obtained. Conclusions:The results showed that rehabilitative ultrasound imaging can be used as an excellentreliable instrument by one or two examiners to measure the thickness of the transverseabdominis, internal oblique, external oblique and lumbar multifidus muscles in femaleswith recurrent low back pain.