Is the Sørensen test valid to assess muscle fatigue of the trunk extensor muscles?

Background: Very few studies have quantified the degree of fatigue characterized by the decline in the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force of the trunk extensors induced by the widely used Sørensen test.

Objective: Measure the degree of fatigue of the trunk extensor muscles induced by the Sørensen test.

Methods: Eighty young healthy subjects were randomly divided into a control group (CG) and an experimental group (EG), each including 50% of the two genders. The EG performed an isometric MVC of the trunk extensors (pre-fatigue test) followed by the Sørensen test, the latter being immediately followed by another MVC (post-fatigue test). The CG performed only the pre- and post-fatigue tests without any exertion in between.

Results: The comparison of the pre- and post-fatigue tests revealed a significant (P< 0.05) decrease in MVC force normalized by body mass (-13%) in the EG, whereas a small increase occurred in the CG (+2.7%, P= 0.001).

Conclusions: This study shows that the Sørensen test performed until failure in a young healthy population results in a reduced ability of the trunk extensor muscles to generate maximal force, and indicates that this test is valid for the assessment of fatigue in trunk extensor muscles.