Trunk muscle strength and low back pain.

The strength of the trunk muscles was measured in a group of young males with low back insufficiency (n=7) and in an age matched (19-21 yrs) healthy control group (n=8). A recently designed new application of the isokinetic technique was used to record maximal torque produced by the trunk muscles during flexion, extension and lateral flexion. Trunk muscle strength was measured during isometric contractions in different trunk positions and during slow isokinetic contractions in the whole range of motion. No significant differences between the groups were observed for trunk extension, lateral flexion or flexion with the centre of rotation at L2-L3 level. However, in the initial part of isokinetic trunk flexion with the pivot point at the hip joint the strength values for the back patients were significantly lower than for the controls. The present results demonstrate the importance of a comprehensive approach to the assessment of trunk muscle strength, including different movement velocities, body positions and pivot points. Further studies are needed to evaluate the significance of the specific weakness observed in dynamic trunk flexion strength in the back patients.