Effect of trunk stabilization exercises on trunk muscle activation using different respiratory conditions.
Sang-Hun Lee, Seung-Geun Lee, Bo-Ram Choi
PMID 29706707WHAT IT FOUND
After four weeks, trunk stabilization with expiration or inspiration showed no clear between-group difference in muscle activity or endurance, although both groups improved.
Key findings
01The expiration and inspiration groups did not differ significantly in trunk muscle activity or endurance after the program.
02Both groups showed significant increases in trunk flexor and extensor endurance after the program.
03Within groups, internal oblique activity increased significantly in the inspiration group, and multifidus activity increased significantly in the expiration group.
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 women, so results may not apply to people with low back pain, spinal instability, older adults, or men. Only 30 women were studied, and the intervention lasted four weeks. Both groups performed the same trunk stabilization exercises, so the study cannot show that the exercise program itself caused improvement compared with no exercise. Surface EMG could not assess transverse abdominis activation. The between-group comparison was null, so within-group increases should not be treated as evidence that one breathing condition is better.
Declared interests
No conflict of interest was declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that controlled inspiration is better than controlled expiration for trunk stabilization. The breathing groups did not differ significantly in trunk muscle activity or endurance, and both groups received the same exercise program.