Hip and Trunk Muscle Activity During the Star Excursion Balance Test in Healthy Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 682-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunal Bhanot ◽  
Navpreet Kaur ◽  
Lori Thein Brody ◽  
Jennifer Bridges ◽  
David C. Berry ◽  
...  

Context:Dynamic balance is a measure of core stability. Deficits in the dynamic balance have been related to injuries in the athletic populations. The Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) is suggested to measure and improve dynamic balance when used as a rehabilitative tool.Objective:To determine the electromyographic activity of the hip and the trunk muscles during the SEBT.Design:Descriptive.Setting:University campus.Participants:Twenty-two healthy adults (11 males and 11 females; 23.3 [3.8] y, 170.3 [7.6] cm, 67.8 [10.3] kg, and 15.1% [5.0%] body fat).Intervention:Surface electromyographic data were collected on 22 healthy adults of the erector spinae, external oblique, and rectus abdominis bilaterally, and gluteus medius and gluteus maximus muscle of the stance leg. A 2-way repeated measures analysis of variance was used to determine the interaction between the percentage maximal voluntary isometric contraction (%MVIC) and the reach directions. The %MVIC for each muscle was compared across the 8 reach directions using the Sidak post hoc test withαat .05.Main Outcome Measures:%MVIC.Results:Significant differences were observed for all the 8 muscles. Highest electromyographic activity was found for the tested muscles in the following reach directions—ipsilateral external oblique (44.5% [38.4%]): anterolateral; contralateral external oblique (52.3% [40.8%]): medial; ipsilateral rectus abdominis (8% [6.6%]): anterior; contralateral rectus abdominis (8% [5.3%]): anteromedial; ipsilateral erector spinae (46.4% [20.2%]): posterolateral; contralateral erector spinae (33.5% [11.3%]): posteromedial; gluteus maximus (27.4% [11.7%]): posterior; and gluteus medius (54.6% [26.1%]): medial direction.Conclusions:Trunk and hip muscle activation was direction dependent during the SEBT. This information can be used during rehabilitation of the hip and the trunk muscles.

Author(s):  
José M. Oliva-Lozano ◽  
José M. Muyor

The aim of this study was to systematically review the current literature on the electromyographic (EMG) activity of six core muscles (the rectus abdominis, the internal and external oblique, the transversus abdominis, the lumbar multifidus, and the erector spinae) during core physical fitness exercises in healthy adults. A systematic review of the literature was conducted on the Cochrane, EBSCO, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science electronic databases for studies from January 2012 to March 2020. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (a) the full text available in English; (b) a cross-sectional or longitudinal (experimental or cohorts) study design; (c) the reporting of electromyographic activity as a percentage of maximum voluntary contraction (% MVIC), millivolts or microvolts; (d) an analysis of the rectus abdominis (RA), transversus abdominis (TA), lumbar multifidus (MUL), erector spinae (ES), and the internal (IO) or external oblique (EO); (e) an analysis of physical fitness exercises for core training; and (f) healthy adult participants. The main findings indicate that the greatest activity of the RA, EO, and ES muscles was found in free-weight exercises. The greatest IO activity was observed in core stability exercises, while traditional exercises showed the greatest MUL activation. However, a lack of research regarding TA activation during core physical fitness exercises was revealed, in addition to a lack of consistency between the studies when applying methods to measure EMG activity.


Author(s):  
Darien T. Pyka ◽  
Pablo B. Costa ◽  
Jared W. Coburn ◽  
Lee E. Brown

Background: A new fitness trend incorporates stability exercises that challenges trunk muscles and introduces crawling as an exercise, but has yet to be investigated for muscle activity. Purpose: To compare the effects of static (STA), stationary (STN), and traveling (TRV) trunk exercises on muscle activation of the rectus abdominis, rectus femoris, external oblique, and erector spinae using surface electromyography (EMG). Methods: Seventeen recreationally active women (mean age ± SD = 22.4 ± 2.4 years, body mass 62.9 ± 6.9 kg, height 165.1 ± 5.8 cm) and twenty-three men (23.6 ±3.9 years, 83.2 ±17.1 kg, 177.1 ± 9.1 cm) volunteered to participate in this study. Subjects performed maximal voluntary contractions for normalization of each muscle’s EMG activity. They then performed the three exercises in random order for thirty seconds each with a two-minute rest in between. Results: For the rectus abdominis, STA was significantly lower than STN (P = 0.003) and TRV (P = 0.001). For the external oblique, STA was significantly lower than STN (P = 0.001) and TRV (P = 0.001) and STN was significantly greater than TRV (P = 0.009). For the erector spinae and rectus femoris, STA was significantly lower than STN (P = 0.001) and TRV (P = 0.001) Conclusions: There was greater muscle activation in all muscles tested in the stationary and traveling exercises versus the static. Strength and conditioning coaches and allied health professionals could potentially use stationary and traveling forms of trunk stabilization exercises as a viable strategy to increase muscle activation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Toru Shirahata ◽  
Hideaki Sato ◽  
Sanehiro Yogi ◽  
Kaiji Inoue ◽  
Mamoru Niitsu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Physical inactivity due to cachexia and muscle wasting is well recognized as a sign of poor prognosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, there have been no reports on the relationship between trunk muscle measurements and energy expenditure parameters, such as the total energy expenditure (TEE) and physical activity level (PAL), in COPD. In this study, we investigated the associations of computed tomography (CT)-derived muscle area and density measurements with clinical parameters, including TEE and PAL, in patients with or at risk for COPD, and examined whether these muscle measurements serve as an indicator of TEE and PAL. Methods The study population consisted of 36 male patients with (n = 28, stage 1–4) and at risk for (n = 8) COPD aged over 50 years. TEE was measured by the doubly labeled water method, and PAL was calculated as the TEE/basal metabolic rate estimated by the indirect method. The cross-sectional areas and densities of the pectoralis muscles, rectus abdominis muscles, and erector spinae muscles were measured. We evaluated the relationship between these muscle measurements and clinical outcomes, including body composition, lung function, muscle strength, TEE, and PAL. Results All the muscle areas were significantly associated with TEE, severity of emphysema, and body composition indices such as body mass index, fat-free mass, and trunk muscle mass. All trunk muscle densities were correlated with PAL. The product of the rectus abdominis muscle area and density showed the highest association with TEE (r = 0.732) and PAL (r = 0.578). Several trunk muscle measurements showed significant correlations with maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures, indicating their roles in respiration. Conclusions CT-derived measurements for trunk muscles are helpful in evaluating physical status and function in patients with or at risk for COPD. Particularly, trunk muscle evaluation may be a useful marker reflecting TEE and PAL.


Author(s):  
Seung-Min Baik ◽  
Heon-Seock Cynn ◽  
Chung-Hwi Yi ◽  
Ji-Hyun Lee ◽  
Jung-Hoon Choi ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of side-sling plank (SSP) exercises on trunk and hip muscle activation in subjects with gluteus medius (Gmed) weakness is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To quantify muscle activation of the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), erector spinae (ES), lumbar multifidus (LM), Gmed, gluteus maximus (Gmax), and tensor fasciae latae (TFL) during SSP with three different hip rotations compared to side-lying hip abduction (SHA) exercise in subjects with Gmed weakness. METHODS: Twenty-two subjects with Gmed weakness were recruited. SHA and three types of SSP exercises were performed: SSP with neutral hip (SSP-N), hip lateral rotation (SSP-L), and hip medial rotation (SSP-M). Surface electromyography was used to measure the activation of the trunk and hip muscles. RESULTS: The trunk and hip muscles activations were generally significantly higher level during three SSP than SHA. SSP-M showed significantly lower EO activation while significantly higher ES and LM activation than SSP-L. Gmed activation was significantly higher during SSP-M than during SSP-L. TFL activation was significantly lower during SSP-M than during SSP-N and SSP-L. CONCLUSIONS: SSP could be prescribed for patients who have reduced Gmed strength after injuries. Especially, SSP-M could be applied for patients who have Gmed weakness with dominant TFL.


Author(s):  
Yuki Kurokawa ◽  
Satoshi Kato ◽  
Satoru Demura ◽  
Kazuya Shinmura ◽  
Noriaki Yokogawa ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Abdominal bracing is effective in strengthening the trunk muscles; however, assessing performance can be challenging. We created a device for performing abdominal trunk muscle exercises. The effectiveness of this device has not yet been evaluated or compared OBJECTIVE: We aimed to quantify muscle activity levels during exercise using our innovative device and to compare them with muscle activation during abdominal bracing maneuvers. METHODS: This study included 10 men who performed abdominal bracing exercises and exercises using our device. We measured surface electromyogram (EMG) activities of the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique, internal oblique (IO), and erector spinae (ES) muscles in each of the exercises. The EMG data were normalized to those recorded during maximal voluntary contraction (%EMGmax). RESULTS: During the bracing exercise, the %EMGmax of IO was significantly higher than that of RA and ES (p< 0.05), whereas during the exercises using the device, the %EMGmax of IO was significantly higher than that of ES (p< 0.05). No significant difference was observed in the %EMGmax of any muscle between bracing exercises and the exercises using the device (p= 0.13–0.95). CONCLUSIONS: The use of our innovative device results in comparable activation to that observed during abdominal bracing.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (02) ◽  
pp. E59-E66
Author(s):  
Roland van den Tillaar ◽  
Stian Larsen

AbstractThe purpose of the study was to compare kinematics and muscle activity between two variations of unilateral squats under different stability conditions. Twelve male volunteers (age: 23±5 years, mass: 80±17 kg, height: 1.81±0.11 m, strength-training experience: 4.3±1.9 years) performed four repetitions with the same external load (≈4RM). Two variations (with the non-stance leg forwards vs. backwards) were performed in a Smith-machine and free-weight condition. The variables were barbell velocity, lifting time and surface electromyography activity of the lower extremity and trunk muscles during the descending and ascending phase. The main findings were 1) peak force was higher when performing the unilateral squats in the Smith machine; 2) peak ascending barbell velocity increased from repetition 3–4 with free weight; and 3) muscle activity from the rectus femoris, vastus lateral, biceps femoris, gluteus medius, and erector spinae increased with repetitions, whereas gluteus, and medial vastus and shank muscles were affected by the conditions. It was concluded that more peak force could be produced because of increased stability. However, peak barbell velocity increased from repetition to repetition in free-weight unilateral squats, which was probably because the participants grew more comfortable. Furthermore, increased instability causes more gluteus and vastus medial activation and foot variations mainly affected the calf muscles.


2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. McBeth ◽  
Jennifer E. Earl-Boehm ◽  
Stephen C. Cobb ◽  
Wendy E. Huddleston

Context: Lower extremity overuse injuries are associated with gluteus medius (GMed) weakness. Understanding the activation of muscles about the hip during strengthening exercises is important for rehabilitation. Objective: To compare the electromyographic activity produced by the gluteus medius (GMed), tensor fascia latae (TFL), anterior hip flexors (AHF), and gluteus maximus (GMax) during 3 hip-strengthening exercises: hip abduction (ABD), hip abduction with external rotation (ABD-ER), and clamshell (CLAM) exercises. Design: Controlled laboratory study. Setting: Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Twenty healthy runners (9 men, 11 women; age = 25.45 ± 5.80 years, height = 1.71 ± 0.07 m, mass = 64.43 ± 7.75 kg) participated. Intervention(s): A weight equal to 5% body mass was affixed to the ankle for the ABD and ABD-ER exercises, and an equivalent load was affixed for the CLAM exercise. A pressure biofeedback unit was placed beneath the trunk to provide positional feedback. Main Outcome Measure(s): Surface electromyography (root mean square normalized to maximal voluntary isometric contraction) was recorded over the GMed, TFL, AHF, and GMax. Results: Three 1-way, repeated-measures analyses of variance indicated differences for muscle activity among the ABD (F3,57 = 25.903, P&lt;.001), ABD-ER (F3,57 = 10.458, P&lt;.001), and CLAM (F3,57 = 4.640, P=.006) exercises. For the ABD exercise, the GMed (70.1 ± 29.9%), TFL (54.3 ± 19.1%), and AHF (28.2 ± 21.5%) differed in muscle activity. The GMax (25.3 ± 24.6%) was less active than the GMed and TFL but was not different from the AHF. For the ABD-ER exercise, the TFL (70.9 ± 17.2%) was more active than the AHF (54.3 ± 24.8%), GMed (53.03 ± 28.4%), and GMax (31.7 ± 24.1 %). For the CLAM exercise, the AHF (54.2 ± 25.2%) was more active than the TFL (34.4 ± 20.1%) and GMed (32.6 ± 16.9%) but was not different from the GMax (34.2 ± 24.8%). Conclusions: The ABD exercise is preferred if targeted activation of the GMed is a goal. Activation of the other muscles in the ABD-ER and CLAM exercises exceeded that of GMed, which might indicate the exercises are less appropriate when the primary goal is the GMed activation and strengthening.


2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel J. Howarth ◽  
Tyson A.C. Beach ◽  
Jack P. Callaghan

The goal of this study was to quantify the relative contributions of each muscle group surrounding the spine to vertebral joint rotational stiffness (VJRS) during the push-up exercise. Upper-body kinematics, three-dimensional hand forces and lumbar spine postures, and 14 channels (bilaterally from rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, latissimus dorsi, thoracic erector spinae, lumbar erector spinae, and multifidus) of trunk electromyographic (EMG) activity were collected from 11 males and used as inputs to a biomechanical model that determined the individual contributions of 10 muscle groups surrounding the lumbar spine to VJRS at five lumbar vertebral joints (L1-L2 to L5-S1). On average, the abdominal muscles contributed 64.32 ± 8.50%, 86.55 ± 1.13%, and 83.84 ± 1.95% to VJRS about the flexion/extension, lateral bend, and axial twist axes, respectively. Rectus abdominis contributed 43.16 ± 3.44% to VJRS about the flexion/extension axis at each lumbar joint, and external oblique and internal oblique, respectively contributed 52.61 ± 7.73% and 62.13 ± 8.71% to VJRS about the lateral bend and axial twist axes, respectively, at all lumbar joints with the exception of L5-S1. Owing to changes in moment arm length, the external oblique and internal oblique, respectively contributed 55.89% and 50.01% to VJRS about the axial twist and lateral bend axes at L5-S1. Transversus abdominis, multifidus, and the spine extensors contributed minimally to VJRS during the push-up exercise. The push-up challenges the abdominal musculature to maintain VJRS. The orientation of the abdominal muscles suggests that each muscle primarily controls the rotational stiffness about a single axis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland van den Tillaar ◽  
Atle Hole Saeterbakken

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to compare core muscle activation during a prone bridge (plank) until failure and 6-RM back squats. Twelve resistance-trained males (age 23.5 ± 2.6 years, body mass 87.8 ± 21.3 kg, body height 1.81 ± 0.08 m) participated in this study. Total exercise time and EMG activity of the rectus abdominis, external abdominal oblique and erector spinae were measured during 6-RM back squats and a prone bridge with a weight of 20% of participants’ body mass on their lower back. The main findings showed non-significant differences between the exercises in the rectus abdominis or external oblique, but greater erector spinae activation in squatting. Furthermore, in contrast to the prone bridge, the erector spinae and rectus abdominis demonstrated increasing muscle activation throughout the repetitions while squatting, whereas the prone bride demonstrated increasing external oblique activation between the beginning and the middle of the set. It was concluded that since squatting resulted in greater erector spine activation, but similar rectus abdominis and oblique external activation as the prone bridge, high-intensity squats rather than isometric low intensity core exercises for athletes would be recommended.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document