A bstract Background: Weak core musculature and inadequate core stability are usually associated with lower back pain. Therefore, core strengthening exercises are essential to improve stability and reduce the adverse effects of poor core function. However, evaluating improvements in core stability before and after exercise requires reliable assessment tools. The Sahrmann Lower Abdominal Core Stability Test (SLACST) is commonly used for this purpose, but concerns remain regarding its consistency across different examiners and repeated assessments. Aim: To examine its reliability, the test was performed across three body mass index (BMI) categories—underweight, normal-weight, and overweight individuals—by two researchers on different days and by the same researcher across separate sessions. Materials and Methods: Ninety participants were categorized into three BMI groups—underweight, normal weight, and overweight as per the South Asian BMI classification criteria. For intratester reliability—Rater 1 administered the SLACST test on day 1 with three trials and repeated the assessment on day 5. For intertester reliability—Rater 2 conducted the test on day 3. During testing, pressure biofeedback was placed dorsally at the lower lumbar region, while participants lay in a supine position. Results: The test demonstrated good reliability for normal weight and underweight participants when performed by Rater 1 on different days, with intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) values ranging from 0.8 to 0.9. While the intra-rater reliability for overweight individuals was moderate, with ICC values below 0.8, inter-rater reliability between the two raters was also high for underweight and normal-weight participants (ICC > 0.8), whereas the overweight group showed lower reliability (ICC ≈ 0.6). Conclusion: Overall, the findings indicated that the test is generally reliable for assessing core stability, although reliability was slightly lower in overweight individuals compared to the normal-weight and underweight groups. Overall, the Sahrmann test can be considered a reliable tool for assessing core muscle stability.
Parmar et al. (Tue,) studied this question.