ASSESSMENT OF BACK EXTENSOR MUSCLE STRENGTH IN FINAL YEAR AND INTERNSHIP PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS BY USING PRONE ISOMETRIC EXTENSOR TEST.

Menaka. Shirpurkar; Dr. Virendra K. Meshram

Volume : IX, Issue : IV, April - 2019

ASSESSMENT OF BACK EXTENSOR MUSCLE STRENGTH IN FINAL YEAR AND INTERNSHIP PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS BY USING PRONE ISOMETRIC EXTENSOR TEST.

Menaka. Shirpurkar, Dr. Virendra K. Meshram

Abstract :

BACKGROUND: Physiotherapy students deal with various conditions wherein they are required to treat individuals with utmost care, however while doing so, many students tend to assume an incorrect posture which in turn leads to weakness of spinal musculature and pain. Low back pain is experienced in 60–80% of young adults at some point in their lifetime which may be a result of trunk weakness. The objective of our study was to assess the back extensor muscle strength in final year and internship physiotherapy students by using the prone isometric extensor test. METHOD: For the study, a total of 96 final year and internship physiotherapy students were screened for the inclusion and exclusion criteria after which the strength of their back extensors was measured using the Prone Isometric Extensor Test. The grades of the muscle strength were then documented and the data obtained for the study was then analysed for the result. RESULT: The result obtained through this observational study was as follows; out of 96 students, the percentage of students having back extensor muscle strength of grade 0 and grade 1 is 0% , percentage of students having grade 2 is 10% , grade 3 is 41% and grade 4 and grade 5 is 30% and 19% respectively. CONCLUSION: Thus, this study concludes that majority of the final year and internship physiotherapy students had a back extensor muscle grade of 3 i.e. fair muscle strength hence proving that there exists back extensor muscle weakness in final year and internship physiotherapy students.