Intersession reliability and concurrent validity of isometric endurance tests for the lateral trunk muscles.

Context: A torso-elevated side support (TESS) has previously been described for measuring endurance of the lateral trunk muscles. In some individuals, however, TESS performance may be hindered by upper extremity pain or fatigue. For this reason a novel test, the feet-elevated side-support test (FESS), was examined.

Objective: To determine intersession reliability of a FESS and a TESS on the left and right sides using a single examiner, to evaluate the relationship between tests, and to compare reasons for test termination.

Design: Nonexperimental prospective repeated measures.

Setting: University laboratory.

Participants: A convenience sample of 60 healthy participants from a university community (17 men, 43 women; age 21.1 ± 2.2 y; height 169.9 ± 9.5 cm; weight 67.1 ± 11.9 kg).

Results: Intraclass correlation coefficient between 3 testing sessions = .87 with right FESS, .86 with left FESS, .78 with right TESS, and .91 with left TESS. Pearson correlation coefficients ranged from .59 (between left FESS and left TESS in women) to .75 (between left FESS and left TESS in men). Upper extremity pain or fatigue was the reason given for test termination in 42.5% of participants during the TESS and 5.0% during the FESS (P = .000, Fisher exact test).

Conclusions: FESS and TESS had comparable intersession reliability by the same evaluator. Moderate to high correlations were found between FESS and TESS scores, suggesting that the tests assess similar qualities. Far fewer participants terminated the FESS because of upper extremity pain or fatigue. Thus, the FESS may be a suitable alternative to the previously validated TESS, particularly for individuals with upper extremity pain or weakness.