Changes in the activity of trunk and hip extensor muscles during bridge exercises with variations in unilateral knee joint angle.
Juseung Kim, Minchul Park
PMID 27799688WHAT IT FOUND
Lifting a bridge with the dominant knee straight rather than bent raised trunk and opposite hip extensor activity, and lowered the hamstring on the straight side.
For healthy young men only, this does not prove better function or pain relief.
Key findings
01In 22 healthy males, bilateral external oblique and internal oblique activity was significantly higher when the dominant knee was at 0° flexion than at 120°, 90°, and 60°.
02Gluteus maximus activity was significantly different at 0° compared with 120°, 90°, and 60°.
03Semitendinosus activity changed by side: same-side activity was higher at 90° and 60° than at 120°, and lower at 0° than at 120°, 90°, and 60°; opposite-side activity was higher at 60° than at 120° and higher at 0° than at 120°, 90°, and 60°.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
All participants were healthy young men, so the findings may not apply to women, older adults, or people with back pain, neurological conditions, or musculoskeletal disorders. The study did not measure rectus abdominis or erector spinae, muscles that help maintain the bridge position. The outcomes were muscle electrical activity, not pain, strength, balance, or function.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict of interest declaration is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat higher muscle electrical activity as proof that this bridge variation improves pain, strength, or function. The study measured activity in healthy young men, not patients or clinical outcomes.