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Reliability of erector spinae oxygenation and blood volume responses using near-infrared spectroscopy in healthy males

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Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to (1) describe the trends in oxygenation (OXY) and blood volume (BV) of the right and left paraspinal muscles during the Biering-Sorensen muscle endurance (BSME) test using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and (2) assess the test-retest reliability of OXY and BV changes during the BSME in healthy males. Seventeen healthy males [age=28.4 (9.8) years, height=1.75 (0.05) m, body mass=82.7 (9.1) kg; mean (SD)] completed two BSME trials within 1 week. NIRS probes were placed bilaterally at lumbar 3. The test was performed with the subject in the prone position using the following protocol: 2 min baseline, BSME, and 4 min recovery. The delta and range values of OXY and BV were used for analysis. Acceptable intra-class correlations were observed for endurance time and all the NIRS variables at the point of fatigue and at each 10% segment of the BSME during the two trials. Bland-Altman plots confirmed the reproducibility of the bilateral NIRS responses of the paravertebral muscles. The BV responses were more reliable than the OXY responses during the two trials. The OXY and BV responses of the paravertebral muscles during static contractions can be measured reliably using NIRS. Future studies should focus primarily on BV for analysis.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by funding from the Alberta Workers’ Compensation Board.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada, S4S 0A2

    Robert T. Kell

  2. Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G4, Canada

    Mamdouh Farag & Yagesh Bhambhani

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  1. Robert T. Kell
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  2. Mamdouh Farag
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  3. Yagesh Bhambhani
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Correspondence to Robert T. Kell.

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Kell, R.T., Farag, M. & Bhambhani, Y. Reliability of erector spinae oxygenation and blood volume responses using near-infrared spectroscopy in healthy males. Eur J Appl Physiol 91, 499–507 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-003-1014-0

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