Normative value of core muscle strength using sphygmomanometer

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 females participants were recruited based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The participants had mechanical low back pain and were between 18-25 years of age. Sphygmomanometer was used to check the core muscle strength, three trials of 10 seconds and with a one minute of rest required between each trail. 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 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 sphygmomanometer is effective for the clinical use due to its portability, comfort and 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研究背景：核心肌群（core muscles）对于维持腹部、躯干及腰骶骨盆区域的稳定性与力量至关重要。大学生常因久坐生活方式、长时间使用电子设备、高强度学习习惯以及错误坐姿而罹患下腰痛（lower back pain）。核心稳定训练（core stabilization exercises）通过腹部内收动作（abdominal drawing-in maneuver, ADIM）可有效强化深层腹部肌肉。血压计（sphygmomanometer）常被用于评估核心肌群力量。机械性下腰痛量表（mechanical low back pain scale, MLBP）与直腿抬高试验（straight leg raise test, SLR）是两种用于评估机械性下腰痛严重程度的可靠诊断方法。 研究目的：本研究旨在调查机械性下腰痛（MLBP）患者的核心力量参考值。 材料与方法：本研究基于纳入排除标准共招募116名女性受试者，所有受试者均患有机械性下腰痛，年龄介于18~25岁之间。采用血压计测量核心肌群力量，每次测试持续10秒，共完成3次测试，每次测试间需休息1分钟，获取最高压力读数所需时长为5~8分钟。采用柯尔莫哥洛夫（KOLMOGOROV）方法计算基线特征，并使用SPSS软件进行数据分析；采用中位数与四分位数间距（IQR）来表征核心力量的数值。 结果与讨论：本研究在机械性下腰痛女性受试者中获得了仰卧位下的核心肌群力量参考值，其中位秩为65.00，四分位数间距（IQR）为60.00~70.00。 结论：本研究证实，血压计因其便携性、舒适性与成本效益优势，且可结合腹部内收动作（ADIM）准确测量机械性下腰痛患者的核心肌群力量，适用于临床应用。 关键词：血压计（sphygmomanometer）、核心肌群力量（core muscle strength）、核心稳定性（core stability）、机械性下腰痛（mechanical low back pain）