The effect of trunk stabilization circuit exercise using a rubber mat on the thickness and white area index of transverse abdominis in healthy young adults.
KyoChul Seo, KwangYong Park
PMID 29950787WHAT IT FOUND
Compared with floor exercise, only the white-pixel measure differed, not thickness.
In healthy adults, four weeks on the rubber mat increased transverse abdominis thickness and reduced white pixels on ultrasound.
Key findings
01Between groups, the change in white area index differed significantly, but the change in transverse abdominis thickness did not.
02After four weeks, the rubber-mat group increased transverse abdominis thickness from 2.4 mm to 3.2 mm and decreased white area index from 0.5% to 0.3%; the floor group did not show significant changes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The participants were healthy adults in their 20s, so the results may not apply to people with back pain or older adults. The study included only 28 participants, and the authors note the four-week period may be too short. The outcomes were ultrasound measurements, not pain, function, or injury risk. The paper does not report how allocation was concealed or whether assessors were blinded. The same physical therapist performed the ultrasound measurements, which may affect independence.
Declared interests
This research was supported by Korean Nazarene University Research Grants 2018. The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that rubber-mat exercise prevents back pain or improves function. The participants were healthy adults, the outcomes were ultrasound measures, and the between-group difference was significant only for white area index, not transverse abdominis thickness.