Recent studies have shown that a lack of core stability can be an intrinsic risk factor for sport injuries, not only in sports with a high load on the spine, but also in young female athletes (4). The ability to sustain a muscle contraction for a prolonged period of time is of great importance to core stability (1). McGill published a test protocol for core endurance and reported a good reliability (3). The goal of our study is to examine the reliability of the McGill test protocol in young female athletes. Methods: 19 young female hockey players (age 12.7 ± 1.6) participated in the study. An a-priori power measurement determined the sample size. The McGill test protocol consists of four tests in which the instruction is to maintain the position for as long as possible. The four tests are the flexion endurance test, left side bridge test, right side bridge test and the Biering-Sørensen extension test. Participants performed the McGill test protocol on 3 consecutive days, the only difference being the observer on day 2. Statistical analysis was performed following the method of Hopkins (2) using SPSS and the spreadsheets on sportsci.org. Results: The ICC for the flexion endurance test was 0.56, 0.45 for the Biering-Sørensen extension test, 0.67 for the right side bridge test and 0.60 for the left side bridge test, indicating a moderate reliability of the test protocol. The test-retest reliability of the flexion endurance test was poor to moderate for the flexion endurance test (R = 0.46 - 0.74), the Biering- Sørensen extension test (R = 0.29 - 0.64), the lright side brdge test (R = 0.33 - 0.70) and the left side bridge test (R = 0.17 - 0.58). Conclusions: Given the moderate to poor reliability, we do not recommend the McGill test protocol in a population of young female athletes. Other protocols to measure core endurance should be developed.
© Copyright 2012 17th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS), Bruges, 4. -7. July 2012. Published by Vrije Universiteit Brussel. All rights reserved.