Pelvic floor muscle contraction and abdominal hollowing during walking can selectively activate local trunk stabilizing muscles

Ah Young Lee; Seung Ok Baek; Yun Woo Cho; Tae Hong Lim; Rodney Jones; Sang Ho Ahn

doi:10.3233/BMR-160678

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Pelvic floor muscle contraction and abdominal hollowing during walking can selectively activate local trunk stabilizing muscles

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Pelvic floor muscle contraction and abdominal hollowing during walking can selectively activate local trunk stabilizing muscles

Ah Young Lee, Seung Ok Baek, Yun Woo Cho, Tae Hong Lim, Rodney Jones and Sang Ho Ahn

Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation, Vol.29(4), pp.731-739

11/21/2016

DOI: 10.3233/BMR-160678

PMID: 26966824

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Abstract

Trunk muscle exercises are widely performed, and many studies have been performed to examine their effects on low back pains. However, the effect of trunk muscles activations during walking with pelvic floor muscle contraction (PFMC) and abdominal hollowing (AH) has not been clarified. To investigate whether walking with PFMC and AH is more effective for promoting local trunk muscle activation than walking without PFMC and AH. Twenty healthy men (28.9 ± 3.14 years, 177.2 ± 4.25 cm, 72.1 ± 6.39 kg, body mass index 22.78 ± 2.38 kg/m2) were participated in this study. Surface electrodes were attached over the multifidus (MF), lumbar erector spinae (LES), thoracic erector spinae (TES), transverse abdominus-internal oblique abdominals (TrA-IO), external oblique abdominals (EO), and rectus abdominus (RA). The amplitudes of electromyographic signals were measured during a normal walking with and without PFMC and AH. PFMC and AH while walking was found to result in significant bilateral increases in the normalized maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) of MFs and TrA-IOs (p< 0.05). Ratios of local muscle activity to global muscle activities were increased while performing PFMC and AH during normal walking. Bilateral TrA-IO/EO activity ratios were significantly increased by PFMC and AH (p< 0.05). Performance of the PFMC and AH during walking resulted in significantly more recruitment of local trunk muscles. This study suggests that PFMC and AH during normal daily walking improves activation of muscles responsible for spinal dynamic stabilization and might be useful if integrated into low back disability and pain physical rehabilitation efforts.

Electromyography

Exercise Therapy - methods

Humans

Abdominal Muscles - physiology

Male

Healthy Volunteers

Walking - physiology

Paraspinal Muscles - physiopathology

Low Back Pain - physiopathology

Low Back Pain - rehabilitation

Pelvic Floor - physiopathology

Muscle Contraction - physiology

Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology

Adult

Exercise - physiology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Pelvic floor muscle contraction and abdominal hollowing during walking can selectively activate local trunk stabilizing muscles
Creators: Ah Young Lee - Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Korea
Seung Ok Baek - Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Korea
Yun Woo Cho - Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Korea
Tae Hong Lim - Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa city, IA, USA
Rodney Jones - Department of Anesthesiology, University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, Kansas Spine Institute, Wichita, KS, USA
Sang Ho Ahn - Medical Devices Clinical Trial Center, Yeungnam University, Korea
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation, Vol.29(4), pp.731-739
Publisher: Netherlands
DOI: 10.3233/BMR-160678
PMID: 26966824
ISSN: 1053-8127
eISSN: 1878-6324
Language: English
Date published: 11/21/2016
Academic Unit: Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering
Record Identifier: 9984064119302771

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