Abdominal muscle performance as measured by the double leg-lowering test.

Abstract

To describe abdominal muscle performance as measured by the double leg-lowering test (DLLT) in healthy subjects. Repeated measures. Academic laboratory. A sample of 100 healthy volunteers (50 men, 50 women; age range, 18-29 y). Not applicable. Repeat measurements of the DLLT to determine reliability and performance standards and to identify variables that predict performance. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 3,1) for repeated measures of the DLLT was .98. The mean value +/- standard error of the mean for abdominal performance for men was 15.4 degrees +/-2.3 degrees from a horizontal reference, and for women it was 36.9 degrees +/-3.4 degrees . A significant difference was found between men and women on performance of the DLLT (t 98 = -5.3, P < .001). A linear regression model found sex (t = -3.2, P = .002) and age (t = -4.6, P < .001) to be significant predictors of performance on the DLLT. The DLLT has excellent intratester reliability. We also found a sex difference in the performance of the DLLT.