OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of 12-week online-delivered isometric and dynamic core stability exercises on functional movements, dynamic postural control, and core ...endurance in healthy young adults.METHODS This is a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Sixty young adults (age range: 19-34 years; 12 males, 48 females) participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to the isometric core exercise ICE, dynamic core exercise DCE, or control group. Participants in the ICE and DCE groups performed 40-60 min real-time online-delivered core exercise session via Zoom video conferencing application, twice a week for 12 weeks. Participants in the control group did not participate in exercise intervention. All participants were asked not to participate in other exercises for 12 weeks. The outcome measurements include the functional movement screen, Y-balance test (upper & lower), and core endurance tests (flexor, extensor, and lateral flexor of the trunk).RESULTS The results of this study showed significant improvement in core endurance, functional movement, and dynamic postural control of the upper body in the ICT and DCE groups compared with the control group. However, significant differences were not found between the ICE and DCE groups in all variables.CONCLUSIONS Both types of online-delivered core exercise programs have been shown to be effective in improving functional movement, dynamic posture control, and core endurance in young adults. In addition, since both types of exercise have been shown to be effective on core stability related variables, both types of exercise can be recommended for young adults. However, further studies are warranted to investigate the gender differences on the effects of the core stability exercises.
Yoga exercise is widely performed as a treatment of low back pain and performance enhancement. Some yoga exercises are applied from general stabilization exercise (GSE) such as bridge exercises. The ...purpose of this study was to compare muscle activity during various types of GSE and yoga-applied stabilization exercise (YSE), and clarify characteristics of activity pattern during YSE.
Fourteen healthy men participated in the study. We recorded muscle activity from the trapezius, trunk, and lower limb muscles using surface electromyography. The participants performed 5 front bridge exercises (elbow-knee, elbow-toe, high-plank, up-dog, down-dog), 2 back bridge exercises, 2 side bridge exercises, and 2 adductor side bridge exercises. The muscle activity was compared between GSE and YSE.
In comparison of muscle activity during the front bridge exercises, elbow-toe and down-dog produced the higher activation in the external oblique (EO), internal oblique (IO), gluteus medius (Gmed), and rectus femoris than the other exercises. The activities of the upper trapezius, lower trapezius (LTZ), erector spinae, EO, and IO during Y-back bridge (Y-; indicating yoga exercise) showed significantly higher than during back bridge. Y-adductor side bridge produced significantly higher activation in the LTZ, IO, gluteus maximum, and Gmed than adductor side bridge.
The results of front bridge exercise showed that down-dog enhanced the activity of abdominal and anterior hip muscles as well as elbow-toe. Furthermore, YSE activated more the trapezius, trunk, and gluteus muscles than GSE during the back bridge and adductor side bridge.
Purpose This study aimed to examine whether trunk stability is related to closed kinetic chain motor performance of the upper and lower limbs. Participants and Methods In this study, 27 healthy male ...university students participated. Trunk stability was measured under two conditions, with and without rhythmic stabilization, as a proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation procedure. The shortest time required to perform 20 push-ups and lateral step-up/-downs (closed kinetic chain motor performances) immediately after rhythmic stabilization or sitting rest (without rhythmic stabilization) was measured. Results Left and right trunk stabilities were significantly higher, and the time required to perform the closed kinetic chain motor task was significantly shorter under the rhythmic stabilization condition than that of the non-rhythmic stabilization condition. Regarding the relationship between the difference between the two trunk stability conditions and difference between upper/lower limbs closed kinetic chain exercise capacity conditions, left trunk stability correlated with each closed kinetic chain movement, whereas right trunk stability did not correlate with either movement. Conclusion Trunk stability was shown to improve closed kinetic chain exercise capacity in the upper and lower limbs, and stability of the trunk’s dominant side (here, left side) seemed to regulate.
Balance is the dynamic and unconscious control of the body’s centre of mass to maintain postural equilibrium. Regulated by the vestibular system, head movement and acceleration are processed by the ...brain to adjust joints. Several conditions result in a loss of balance, including Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Menière’s Disease and cervical spondylosis, all of which are caused by damage to certain parts of the vestibular pathways. Studies about the impairment of the vestibular system are challenging to carry out in human trials due to smaller study sizes limiting applications of the results and a lacking understanding of the human balance control mechanism. In contrast, more controlled research can be performed in animal studies which have fewer confounding factors than human models and allow specific conditions that affect balance to be replicated. Balance control can be studied using rodent balance-related behavioural tests after spinal or brain lesions, such as the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) Locomotor Scale, Foot Fault Scoring System, Ledged Beam Test, Beam Walking Test, and Ladder Beam Test, which are discussed in this review article along with their advantages and disadvantages. These tests can be performed in preclinical rodent models of femoral nerve injury, stroke, spinal cord injury and neurodegenerative diseases.
•Combination of balance tests provide a more accurate assessment of instability.•Foot Fault, Ledged Beam, and Beam Walking show effects of genetic manipulation.•Ledged Beam, Beam Walking, and Ladder Beam variations are made based on injury level.•Time to cross the beam and paw placement are the most common scoring measurements.•Videos of all tests verify scoring and allow for higher inter-rater reliability.
•We examine postural stability in PD fallers, non-fallers and healthy older adults.•That static posturography was sensitive to discriminate between PD and older adults.•Fallers have restrictive trunk ...postural control when walking.•PD fallers and non-fallers adopt different postural strategies to regulate balance.
The relationship between falls and static and dynamic postural control has not been established in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The purpose was to compare the compensatory postural strategies among fallers and non-fallers with PD as well as older adults during static and dynamic movements.
Twenty-five individuals with PD (11 fallers) and 17 older adults were outfitted with 6 accelerometers on the wrists, ankles, lumbar spine, and sternum, stood quietly for 30 s on a force platform, and walked back and forth for 30 s along a 15 m walkway. Root-mean-square displacement amplitude of the center of pressure (COP), COP velocity, gait spatial-temporal characteristics, trunk range of motion (ROM), and peak trunk velocities were obtained.
COP velocity in anterior-posterior was larger in older adults than those with PD (p < 0.05). Trunk frontal ROM and velocity were smaller in fallers and non-fallers with PD compared to older adults (p < 0.05). Trunk anterior-posterior ROM and velocity were smaller in fallers than non-fallers with PD and older adults (p < 0.05). In fallers with PD, negative correlations were shown between the sagittal trunk velocity and the COP velocity in the anterior-posterior direction as well as between trunk frontal velocity and COP velocity in both directions (p < 0.05). In non-fallers with PD, horizontal trunk ROM and velocity were positively correlated with COP ROM and velocity in the medial-lateral direction (p < 0.01).
Dynamic postural control revealed better discrimination between groups than static. Fallers and non-fallers with PD and older adults adopted different compensatory strategies during static and dynamic movements; thereby providing important information for falls-risk assessment.
Purpose To clarify the effects of the draw-in maneuver on the thickness of the lateral abdominal muscles and trunk stability. Participants and Methods Seventeen healthy young participants’ resting ...expiratory levels and muscle thickness when performing the draw-in maneuver in a supine position on a floor and stretch pole (SP) were measured. Their trunk stability levels when standing on one leg and walking after the exercise were also measured. Results When performing the draw-in maneuver, the thickness of the external oblique muscle decreased, whereas that of the internal oblique muscle increased. There was neither a main nor interaction effect related to the supine position on a floor/SP. An interaction effect was observed on the thickness of the transverse muscle. After the exercise, the total center-of-pressure path length decreased only when standing on one leg. Conclusion The draw-in maneuver improved trunk stability when standing on one leg, suggesting that it increases the thicknesses of the internal oblique and transverse muscles, and the increase in the latter case is more marked when adopting a supine position on an SP.
Work-related low-back disorders (WLBDs) are one of the most frequent and costly musculoskeletal conditions. It has been showed that WLBDs may occur when intervertebral or torso equilibrium is altered ...by a biomechanical perturbations or neuromuscular control error. The capacity to react to such disturbances is heavily determined by the spinal stability, provided by active and passive tissues and controlled by the central nervous system.
This study aims to investigate trunk stability through the Lyapunov’s maximum exponent during repetitive liftings in relation to risk level, as well as to evaluate its ability to discriminate these risk levels.
Fifteen healthy volunteers performed fatiguing lifting tasks at three different frequencies corresponding to low, medium, and high risk levels according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) equation. We investigated changes in spinal stability during fatiguing lifting tasks at different risk levels using the maximum Lyapunov's index (λMax) computed from trunk accelerations recorded by placing three IMUs at pelvis, lower and upper spine levels. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was performed to determine if there was any significant effect on λMax among the three risk levels and the time (start, mid, and end of the task). Additionally, we examined the Pearson’s correlation of λMax with the trunk muscle co-activation, computed from trunk sEMG.
Our findings show an increase in trunk stability with increasing risk level and as the lifting task progressed over time. A negative correlation between λMax and trunk co-activation was observed which illustrates that the increase in spinal stability could be partially attributed to increased trunk muscle co-activation.
This study highlights the possibility of generating stability measures from kinematic data as risk assessment features in fatiguing tasks which may prove useful to detect the risk of developing work-related low back pain disorders and allow the implementation of early ergonomic interventions.
•Trunk stability based on maximum Lyapunov's index (λMax) discriminates risk levels.•Trunk λMax decreases with risk level during fatiguing lifting in healthy people.•Trunk λMax decreases when time advances during fatiguing lifting in healthy people.•Trunk λMax and the degree of trunk muscle coactivation are negatively correlated.
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