EMG Analysis of Lumbar Muscle Activations During Resisted and Unresisted Core Strength Exercises

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 12-24
Author(s):  
S. Saranya ◽  
S. Poonguzhali ◽  
N. Madhu Baala ◽  
S. Karunakaran

Non-specific low back pain is the result of improper loading of the spine, requiring patient specific treatment of low-back muscles. 20 healthy subjects performed selective core strength exercises and surface electromyogram (EMG) signals were acquired from Erecter spinae and Multifidus muscles. Root Mean Square (RMS) EMG normalized with Maximum Voluntary Contraction (%MVC) indicated bilateral symmetry in muscles showing no compensations during exercises. T-tests results showed no significant difference in RMS between exercises performed with and without resistance (p>0.05) suggestive of EMG as a prominent resource in evaluating unresisted muscle strength. Muscle activation during Trunk extension exercise were nominal (80%) and maximum (100%) for the superman Boat exercise suggesting hyperextension. Quadruped exercises were activated submaximally (60%) and can be suggested for core strength training of low back pain patients as preliminary exercise followed by trunk extension during rehabilitative treatment. The Superman Boat exercise can be suggested for sports persons to build their core strength.

Biomedicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 825-829
Author(s):  
P Manikandan ◽  
G Mohan Kumar ◽  
V Rajalaxmi ◽  
C Priya ◽  
G Yuvarani ◽  
...  

Introduction and Aim: Low back discomfort is one of the commonest musculoskeletal problems. The Pilates exercises are an approach to stretching and strengthening techniques and specifically train all the core muscles. The intend of the current study was to verify the influences of the Pilates exercises among pain and disability among patients with Non-specific Low Back Pain (NSLBP).     Materials and Methods: A 100 non-specific low back pain subjects were randomly selected for this experimental study. The study includes of non-specific LBP age group between 25 to 40 years, both male and female patients with pain and disability and this study excludes spinal fractures and Pregnant Women. The estimations were taken utilizing Visual Analogue scale (VAS), Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) and Modified Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (MODQ). Subjects are allotted in two groups, Group A (Pilates group) receives Pilate’s exercise and Group B (conventional group) receives conventional exercise. Exercises were given for 3 times a week for 12 weeks and a regular follow up was done for every 4 weeks.   Results: Group A (Pilates group) were found to be more effective than Group B (conventional group). It shows a highly significant difference in mean values at P ? 0.001. This implies that Pilates exercise is more beneficial in decreasing pain and functional disability.   Conclusion: On comparing the mean values, Group A (Pilates group) showed significant improvement at the end of the study when compared with Group B (conventional group).


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10706
Author(s):  
Vignesh Bhat P ◽  
Vivek Dineshbhai Patel ◽  
Charu Eapen ◽  
Manisha Shenoy ◽  
Steve Milanese

Background Myofascial release (MFR) and Mulligan Sustained Natural Apophyseal Glides (SNAGs) are manual therapy techniques routinely practiced in the management of non-specific low back pain (NSLBP). As a solo intervention or along with other therapies, both methods have reported positive results for individuals with NSLBP. However, which technique improves NSLBP-related pain, restricted range of motion (ROM) and disability, warrants further research. Objective To study the comparative effects of MFR and SNAGs on pain, disability, functional ability, and lumbar ROM in NSLBP. Method A parallel-group study was conducted at tertiary care hospitals. Sixty-five Sub-acute or chronic NSLBP patients were allocated to receive strengthening exercises along with either MFR (n = 33) or SNAGs (n = 32) for six treatment sessions over one week. An independent assessor evaluated outcome measures such as the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Patient-Specific Function Scale (PSFS), and ROM at baseline, immediate (after 1st treatment), and short-term (post-sixth day of the intervention). The Modified Oswestry disability index (MODI) was assessed at baseline and short-term. Results Within-group analysis found clinically and statistically significant (p < 0.05) changes for VAS and PSFS at immediate and short-term for both the groups. The lumbar extension also showed improvement immediately and in the short-term. Improvement in Lumbar flexion was seen only in the SNAGs group over the short-term. A statistically significant improvement was seen for MODI in both the groups but was not clinically significant in the MFR group. The analysis observed no statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between the groups at both the immediate and short-term. Conclusions Pain and restricted function associated with NSLBP can be improved using SNAGs or MFR, along with strengthening exercises. For limited lumbar flexion ROM, Mulligan SNAGs have a better outcome than MFR over the short-term. Hence, both manual therapy techniques can be incorporated along with exercises for immediate and short-term management of sub-acute to chronic NSLBP. Clinical Trial Registration. CTRI/2018/12/016787 (http://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/).


Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Khoshroo ◽  
Foad Seidi ◽  
Reza Rajabi ◽  
Abbey Thomas

BACKGROUND: Distinctive features of low back pain-developers (LBPDs) as pre-clinical low back pain (LBP) population have been evidenced in three areas of alignment, muscle activation, and movement patterns. To clarify whether the reported altered functional movement patterns in chronic LBP patients result from or result in LBP disorders, LBPDs’ functional movement patterns should be investigated. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare female LBPDs’ functional movement patterns with non-pain developers’ (NPDs). METHODS: Sixty female LBPDs and NPDs were recruited based on the research requirements. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) was used to investigate movement quality. Data were compared between groups via Mann-Whitney U tests and correlation analyses examined association between pain intensity and onset during prolonged standing and the FMS score. Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves and Chi Squares were conducted to find the best cutoff points. An alpha level of p≤0.05 was used to establish statistical significance. RESULTS: LBPDs scored significantly lower, or rather worse than NPDs in the FMS composite score (12.06±1.33 vs. 16.43±1.59, U = 3, P <  0.001). Moreover, the optimal cutoff scores of≤14 on the FMS, 2 on the push-up, and 1 on the deep squat discriminated between female LBPDs and NPDs. The FMS composite score was correlated negatively with LBP intensity (r (60) = –0.724, p <  0.001) and positively with LBP onset (r (60) = 0.277, p = 0.032) during prolonged standing. Finally, the results indicated that female LBPDs presented with at least one bilateral asymmetry on the FMS had 10 times (95%CI, 2.941–34.008) and with at least two bilateral asymmetries on the FMS had 15.5 times (95%CI, 3.814–63.359) higher odds of developing LBP during prolonged standing than NPDs. CONCLUSIONS: Female LBPDs, who are at higher risk for developing LBP in the future, have significantly lower quality of functional movement patterns compared to NPDs. Moreover, the FMS appears to show promise for predicting individuals who are at risk for LBP development during prolonged standing.


2006 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. O. Odebiyi ◽  
A. O. Akinpelu ◽  
M. O. B. Olaogun

Back schools are educational programmes originally developed in a work place (Volvo factory in Sweden) for patients with back pain, to enable them to manage their own back problems better. ‘Back school’ was originally aimed at modifying the behaviours of patients with low back pain (LBP), with the view to prevent relapses. In an effort to encourage and stimulate the use of ‘back school’ among health workers in Nigeria, this study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a back school protocol in a Soap Making Industry in Lagos, Nigeria. One hundred and ten (110) workers of a Soap Making Industry in Lagos, Nigeria,  participated in this study. A pre-test, post-test experimental design was employed. The participants were divided into two groups - office workers and factory workers for the purpose of the training in the content of the back school protocol. The ‘back school’ consisted of classroom teaching and the use of two videotapes titled “lifting technique” and “back pain”. Data on demographic information, knowledge of back structures and back care were collected using a questionnaire with closed ended questions, which was completed before, immediately after and 8 weeks after the administrations of the contents of the back school protocol (Akinpelu and Odebiyi, 2004). The records of the factory’s clinic were also reviewed for the 12-months before and 12 months after the study. The mean values of the participants’ age, height, weight and body mass index (BMI) were 36.60 ± 9.10 years, 1.65 ± 0.10 m,69.13 ± 7.70 kg and 25.40 ± 3.30 kg/m2 respectively. The results showed that the 12-months prevalence of low back pain (LBP) among the workers was 71%. The result also showed that over 50% of the participants never had any  information or lesson on back care, and those that had some form of information obtained it by chance. There was 23% reduction in referral for care of back pain 12 months after the administration of the back school protocol. However, Chi square analysis showed that there was no significant difference (p = 0.23) between the number of  physiotherapy referrals to the factory’s clinic 12-months before the study and 12-months after the studyThe findings of this study suggest that the back school protocol was able to impart some knowledge (of back pain and back care) in the industrial workers. This knowledge seems to have assisted this group of individuals to cultivate good postural habits, particularly at work. This might have led to the 23% reduction in the reported cases of patients with LBP to the factory’s Physiotherapy Clinic.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afshin Farhanchi ◽  
Behrouz Karkhanei ◽  
Negar Amani ◽  
Mashhood Aghajanloo ◽  
Elham Khanlarzadeh ◽  
...  

Introduction. In this study we are aiming to evaluate the changes of serum serotonin and its association with pain in patients suffering from chronic low back pain before and after lumbar discectomy surgery. Patients and Methods. A prospective study was performed on the patients referring to the outpatient clinic in Besat hospital, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran, during 2016. A 2 mL fasting blood sample was collected from each patient at preoperative day 1 and postoperative day 14 and they were measured for level of serum serotonin. Besides, all patients were asked for severity of their low back pain in preoperative day 1 and postoperative day 14 and scored their pain from zero to ten using a Numerical Rating Scale. Results. Forty patients with the mean age of 47 ± 13 yrs/old (range 25–77) including 15 (37.5%) males were enrolled into the study. The overall mean score of preoperative pain was significantly decreased from 7.4 ± 2.18 (range 4–10) to the postoperative pain score 3.87 ± 2.92 (range 0–10) (P < .001). The overall levels of pre- and postoperative serum serotonin were 3.37 ± 1.27 (range 1.1–6.4) and 3.58 ± 1.32 (range .94–7.1) ng/mL, respectively, with no significant difference (P = .09). The levels of pre- and postoperative serum serotonin were significantly higher in males and patients older than 50 yrs/old compared to the females and patients younger than 50 yrs/old, respectively (P = .03 and .005, respectively). A significant inverse correlation between the postoperative levels of pain and serum serotonin was observed (r = -.36 and P = .02). Conclusion. A negative medium strength linear relationship may exist between the postoperative serum serotonin and low back pain.


2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (12) ◽  
pp. 1275-1286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo O.P. Costa ◽  
Christopher G. Maher ◽  
Jane Latimer ◽  
Paul W. Hodges ◽  
Robert D. Herbert ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe evidence that exercise intervention is effective for treatment of chronic low back pain comes from trials that are not placebo-controlled.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of motor control exercise for people with chronic low back pain.DesignThis was a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.SettingThe study was conducted in an outpatient physical therapy department in Australia.PatientsThe participants were 154 patients with chronic low back pain of more than 12 weeks’ duration.InterventionTwelve sessions of motor control exercise (ie, exercises designed to improve function of specific muscles of the low back region and the control of posture and movement) or placebo (ie, detuned ultrasound therapy and detuned short-wave therapy) were conducted over 8 weeks.MeasurementsPrimary outcomes were pain intensity, activity (measured by the Patient-Specific Functional Scale), and patient's global impression of recovery measured at 2 months. Secondary outcomes were pain; activity (measured by the Patient-Specific Functional Scale); patient's global impression of recovery measured at 6 and 12 months; activity limitation (measured by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire) at 2, 6, and 12 months; and risk of persistent or recurrent pain at 12 months.ResultsThe exercise intervention improved activity and patient's global impression of recovery but did not clearly reduce pain at 2 months. The mean effect of exercise on activity (measured by the Patient-Specific Functional Scale) was 1.1 points (95% confidence interval [CI]=0.3 to 1.8), the mean effect on global impression of recovery was 1.5 points (95% CI=0.4 to 2.5), and the mean effect on pain was 0.9 points (95% CI=−0.01 to 1.8), all measured on 11-point scales. Secondary outcomes also favored motor control exercise.LimitationClinicians could not be blinded to the intervention they provided.ConclusionsMotor control exercise produced short-term improvements in global impression of recovery and activity, but not pain, for people with chronic low back pain. Most of the effects observed in the short term were maintained at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups.


Physiotherapy ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 82 (8) ◽  
pp. 467 ◽  
Author(s):  
AJHM Beurskens ◽  
HCW de Vet ◽  
AJA Köke

Author(s):  
Jay Kumar Soni ◽  
Edrish Contractor

Aims: Non specific Low back pain is defined as pain without any known pathology which affects almost all the leading occupation where body's awkward posture, twisting and stress forces are commonly encountered across the globe and it is highly prevalent 60% to 70% in a year. Studies have shown various exercise regimen individual effect on the same but superiority of regimen out of these is not clear. Study Design: Comparative Study Place and Duration of Study: Ahmedabad Institute of Medical Sciences, Duration 2013-15 Objective: To assess and compare the effect of core stability exercise, back school program and Swiss ball exercise on Pain, core endurance and Functional disability. Methodology: A group of 24 patients having non-specific low back pain between age groups 18-40 were randomly selected and allocated in to two groups. Group A(n=12) received traditional exercise whereas Swiss ball exercise was given to Group B(n=12). The subjects were treated for two weeks. Baseline data for VAS, Core endurance and MODI were taken on day1 and at the end of two weeks Result: The results were analyzed by wilcoxon signed rank test within both groups. Both groups showed significant improvement in VAS, core endurance and MODI at the end of 2weeks.Comparison between both the Group A and Group B was done by Mann- whitney U test and statistically no significant difference was seen in VAS, core endurance and MODI between the groups Conclusion: The study concluded that both the exercises are equally effective in reducing pain intensity, improves core endurance and functional status in subjects with non specific low back pain


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Usman Abba Ahmed ◽  
SONILL Sooknunan Maharaj ◽  
Nadasan Thaya ◽  
Bashir Kaka ◽  
Ashiyat Kahinde Akodu

Abstract Objective: The relevance and use of Muscle Energy Technique (MET) as a mode of treatment for Non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) over the last two decades has increased among physiotherapists and other health professionals. This supports the clinical relevance and efficacy of this technique. However, there are no studies to determine the level of MET knowledge among Nigerian physiotherapists. This study was designed to determine the MET knowledge among Nigerian physiotherapists.Method: A total of one hundred and twenty physiotherapists were recruited from the database of the Nigerian Society of Physiotherapy and participated in the study. They completed a semi-structured questionnaire containing 46-items. This was divided into four sections which sourced information on sociodemographic characteristics, work-profile, treatment activities and the knowledge of MET for the management of NSLBP. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics for mean, frequency and percentages. Inferential statistics of Chi-square, Pearson Correlation, independent t-test and ANOVA were used to determine the significant difference with significance set at p<0.05.Result: The study revealed that 16.7% of the participants had knowledge of the application of MET in the management for NSLBP. Age, educational level, practice setting, area of specialization such as musculoskeletal therapy, ergonomics and additional training of low back pain (LBP) were factors that influenced respondents’ MET knowledge (p<0.05). However, gender, university of training, number of years of experience and the practice of managing of LBP in the physiotherapy department did not influence knowledge of MET for the management of NSLBP (p >0.05).Conclusion: This study showed that a small number of participants had knowledge of MET application in the management of NSLBP and certain factors influenced this knowledge. Keywords: Non-specific low back pain, Muscle Energy Technique, Physiotherapists knowledge, Nigeria


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document