Examination of the intrarater reliability of ultrasound measurements of the thickness of the lumbar and lateral abdominal muscles in the prone position.
Wataru Nanikawa, Junya Miyazaki
PMID 31528002WHAT IT FOUND
Ultrasound muscle thickness measured in prone position was stable for back muscles in 10 healthy adult males, but side abdominal muscles varied more between days.
Small changes may not be real.
Key findings
01Repeated measurements by the same rater were consistent at 0.74 or higher across all muscles.
02The side abdominal muscles were less consistent than the lumbar muscles, especially when measured on different days.
03The reported threshold for change beyond measurement error was 0.3 to 3.4 mm across muscles.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 10 healthy adult males, so it says little about women, older adults, or people with low back pain. Only one examiner performed the measurements, so it does not show whether another therapist would get the same values. The side abdominal muscles were measured while lying prone on a bed, and the authors say contact with the surface may affect them, so results may not transfer to different setups. This was a reliability study, not a test of whether ultrasound measurement improves diagnosis or treatment outcomes.
Declared interests
The research received no specific funding and the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that prone ultrasound thickness measurement is validated for guiding treatment in patients with low back pain. The study only tested one examiner's repeated measurements in 10 healthy adult males, and the side abdominal muscles showed the weakest agreement.