Associations between assessments of core stability components: gender implication

Background and purpose The fundamental elements of core stability (CS) encompass the regulation of the lumbopelvic region, the endurance of the trunk, and the maintenance of balance. Assessments of these components have produced mixed results and this could be attributed to gender differences. This study aims to evaluate the relationships between core stability components and the associations between their assessments through gender-specific analyses. Material and methods A total of forty collegiate students, consisting of twenty males and twenty females, were selected as participants for this cross-sectional study. The mean age of the participants was 21.4 ± 1.92 years, with an average weight of 58.72 ± 10.96kg and height of 1.63 ± 0.09m. The assessment of participants' lumbopelvic control was conducted with the Sahrmann 5-level core stability test (S5CST), while their trunk endurance was evaluated by the implementation of the McGill and Ito protocols, specifically targeting trunk flexor (TF), trunk extensor (TE), and side plank (SP) exercises. The Stork test was employed to assess static balance, while the Y-balance test was utilized to evaluate dynamic balance. Results A correlation study was conducted on a sample of 40 people, which demonstrated a significant positive association (p < 0.01) between the S5CST and Stork balance for both the dominant leg (Rho = 0.62) and the non-dominant leg (Rho = 0.56). Additionally, a positive relationship was found between the S5CST and non-dominant leg Y-balance (Rho = 0.38), as well as Ito TF (Rho = 0.33). There were no statistically significant associations found between trunk endurance and balance. Gender comparison revealed that females outperformed males in TF (Ito and McGill protocols) and TE (McGill protocol) (p ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, females’ S5CST had greater association than males in non-dominant leg Y-balance for anterior (Z = -2.58, p = 0.009) and posteromedial directions (Z = -1.98, p = 0.046). Conclusions To conclude, lumbopelvic control is a better predictor of proximal-distal core stability than trunk endurance, and trunk neuromuscular pattern differs between genders.