The use of an electrogoniometer to assess both lumbar range of movement and its conscious control: A comparison between healthy subjects and elite swimmers

BACKGROUND: Lumbar range of movement (ROM) and its conscious control play a crucial role in maintaining lumbar health and result in better limb efficiency, core control, stability and balance. However, there is no single test that assesses both lumbar ROM and conscious control or proprioception. Here, we design a novel test to assess simultaneously lumbar ROM and proprioception (the R&P-t) to determine the reliability of the test, and to compare these outcomes between healthy active students and elite swimmers in order to describe a third outcome: The Relative Error (REr). 

METHODS: A total of 34 healthy elite swimmers (mean age: 20.3±4.1 years) and 27 healthy physically active students (mean age: 22.8±2.9 years) volunteered to participate in the study. The participants were blindfolded to obtain the Absolute Error (AEr) and lumbar ROM scores after 3 trials of maximal lumbar flexion, extension and mid perceived position obtained on two different dates separated by 2–3 days. RESULTS: Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.89–0.99 for all of the measurements. Lumbar ROM and AEr scores were higher for the active students than the elite swimmers (44.9±13.3° vs. 34.4±17.4° and 3.7±9.0° vs. 2.4±7.8°, respectively). REr was higher for elite swimmers (32.7±10.0% vs. 18.0±2.2%). 

CONCLUSIONS: The R&P-t is the first reliable test to assess both lumbar proprioception and ROM with the same equipment. A higher AEr in a reduced ROM implies higher relative joint instability, and the same AEr in a higher ROM corresponds to more relative control over this joint.