Comparison of Intervention Programs to Improve Trunk Stability for Active Females.
Kate Schwartzkopf-Phifer, Katie Whetstone, Mark Marchino and 2 others
PMID 38050546WHAT IT FOUND
Neither a novel multi-planar exercise program nor a standard Pilates program was superior for improving trunk stability in active females.
Both groups achieved similar pass rates on the trunk stability push-up, with about 41% of participants passing at the end of the eight-week intervention.
Key findings
01The primary outcome showed no significant difference in trunk stability push-up pass rates between the NEATS program (41%) and the Pilates program (42%).
02Both groups showed significant within-group improvements in individual trunk stability push-up scores and total Functional Movement Screen scores from pretest to posttest.
03No significant between-group differences were observed for secondary continuous outcomes, including grip strength, dynamic balance, or Functional Movement Screen scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was highly skewed toward physical therapy students (66%), with only five participants over the age of 30, limiting generalizability to the broader population of active females. All participants were free of musculoskeletal pain at baseline, so the results do not apply to patients seeking care for conditions like low back pain. Information regarding pregnancy history and pelvic floor dysfunction was not collected, which may influence trunk stability outcomes. The study was powered to detect a difference in pass rates, but the absolute pass rates (~41-42%) remained relatively low compared to male norms, suggesting neither program fully resolved the deficit in this specific population.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that either program fully restores trunk stability to male norms. While both groups improved, only about 41% of participants passed the trunk stability push-up at posttest, indicating that a majority of active females in this study still did not meet the passing threshold after eight weeks of intervention.