Trunk Extension Endurance Among Physical Therapy Students

College students from physical therapy department will be assigned into four groups. Participants will be tested for trunk extensors endurance and will be given endurance training program to do at home for 6 to 8 weeks. Spinal mobility and lower extremity mobility will be measured. Isokinetic outcome measures for extension and flexion at two different speeds will also be measured at baseline, after 6 and 8 weeks.

Active physical therapy students who are healthy and free from any significant pain at the spine will be recruited to participate in intervention endurance training. Participants will be assigned into four equal groups; doing trunk extension form lying on stomach while breathing normally and arching trunk backwards as long as tolerated. Group one will have arms above head, group two will have hands behind head, group three will have hands parallel to the trunk, and group four will receive instructions only and will act as control group. Spinal mobility of forward bending, backwards bending, right and left side bending will be taken. Straight leg raising and quadriceps flexibility will also be taken. Isokinetic measurements including peak torque, peak torque/body weight, average peak torque, work and average power will be taken at baseline, 6 and 8 weeks. Participants will have a training volume of 2 sets of 10 repetitions, 2 minutes rest in between, 2x/day for 6 to 8 weeks. Endurance timing will be measured in seconds using stop watch. If participant managed to maintain the trunk extension position for 4 minutes, time is recorded and it is considered as ceiling time.

Outcome assessor will only take the endurance and isokinetic measurements without knowing the participants group. Participants will be tested and assigned only to one group using the assigned arms position.

participants had to practice trunk extensors endurance training with having hands parallel to the trunk.

participants will be tested for trunk extensors endurance with having hands on chest but no intervention.

Inclusion Criteria: Active college student free from any spinal pain or pain 3/10 on pain intensity numeric pain rating scale, willing to participate Exclusion Criteria: have had spinal surgery or pain at the spine more than 3/10 on pain intensity numeric pain rating scale.

Ibrahim Abd Elkader SM, Yehia Al-Shenqiti AM, Fathi El-Gohary TM. Trunk extensors endurance with arms parallel to the trunk is superior to other arms positions: Randomized controlled trial. J Pak Med Assoc. 2022 Feb;72(2):222-227. doi: 10.47391/JPMA.496.