Relationship between surface electromyography of the spinae erector muscles and subjectively adjusted step length in the supporting standing-up motion.
Kodai Kitagawa, Tsuyoshi Uezono, Takayuki Nagasaki and 2 others
PMID 31871368WHAT IT FOUND
Healthy male volunteers lifting a 10 kg doll used a shorter step length to significantly reduce erector spinae muscle activity.
This suggests a short step may lower back load during supported standing transfers, but the study used healthy men and a doll, not patients.
Key findings
01When all participants were analysed together, integrated electromyography (IEMG) values for both left and right erector spinae muscles were significantly lower with a short step-length compared to a long step-length.
02Individual analysis showed that seven of the ten participants had significantly lower IEMG values in either the left or right erector spinae muscles when using a short step-length.
03The mean normalized step length for the short step was 28.9% of height, while the long step was 43.0% of height.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included only ten healthy male volunteers, limiting generalizability to female caregivers or those with existing back issues. Participants lifted a 10 kg doll instead of an actual patient, which removes the complexity of patient movement and weight distribution. Only two step lengths (subjectively adjusted long and short) were tested, not a range of precise measurements. Lumbar load was assessed only by surface EMG of the erector spinae, which does not measure spinal stress or other contributing factors. The study was cross-sectional and did not assess long-term effects or pain outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and no funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a shorter step length definitively reduces low back pain or injury risk in clinical practice. The study measured muscle activity in healthy men lifting a lightweight doll, not pain outcomes or actual patient handling, so the link to clinical injury prevention is not proven.