Sharif Digital Repository

Objectives: To examine the changes in torque output resulting from fatigue, as well as changes in electromyographic measures of trunk muscles during isometric axial rotation and to compare these changes between directions of axial rotation. Design: Subjects performed fatiguing right and left isometric axial rotation of the trunk at 80% of maximum voluntary contraction while standing upright. Setting: A rehabilitation center. Participants: Twenty-three men with no history of back pain. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Surface electromyographic signals were recorded from 6 trunk muscles bilaterally. The primary torque in the transverse plane and the coupling torques in... 

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the between-days reliability of electromyographic (EMG) measurement of 6 bilateral trunk muscles and also the torque output in 3 planes during isometric right and left axial rotation at different exertion levels. Methods: Ten healthy subjects performed isometric right and left axial rotation at 100, 70, 50 and 30% maximum voluntary contractions in two testing sessions at least 7 days apart. EMG amplitude and frequency analyses of the recorded surface EMG signals were performed for rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, latissimus dorsi, iliocostalis lumborum and multifidus bilaterally. The primary torque in the... 

Purpose: The aims of the present study were to examine electromyographic (EMG) activity of six bilateral trunk muscles during maximal contraction in three cardinal planes and to determine the direction of contraction that gives maximal activation for each muscle, both for healthy subjects and back-pain patients. Methods: Twenty-eight healthy subjects and 15 back-pain patients performed maximum voluntary contractions in three cardinal planes. Surface EMG signals were recorded from rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, latissimus dorsi, iliocostalis lumborum, and multifidus bilaterally. Root mean square values of the EMG data were calculated to quantify the amplitude of EMG... 

Using an iterative kinematics-driven nonlinear finite element model, relative efficiency of individual abdominal muscles in spinal stability in upright standing posture was investigated. Effect of load height on stability and muscle activities was also computed under different coactivity levels in abdominal muscles. The internal oblique was the most efficient muscle (compared with the external oblique and rectus abdominus) in providing stability while generating smaller spinal loads with lower fatigue rate of muscles. As the weight was held higher, stability deteriorated requiring additional flexor-extensor activities. The stabilising efficacy of abdominal muscles diminished at higher... 

In spite of earlier experimental and modeling studies, the relative role of the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) in spine mechanics has remained controversial. This study employs simple analytical and finite element (FE) models of the spine and its surrounding structures to investigate the contribution of IAP to spinal loading and stability. The analytical model includes the abdominal cavity surrounded by muscles, lumbar spine, rib cage and pelvic ring. The intra-abdominal cavity and its surrounding muscles are represented by a thin deformable cylindrical membrane. Muscle activation levels are simulated by changing the Young's modulus of the membrane in the direction of muscle fibers, yielding... 

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Abdominal Hollowing (AH) maneuver on External Oblique (EO), Internal Oblique (IO) and Transversus Abdominis (TrA) muscles in both healthy men and women during the two postures of supine and upright standing. The study was conducted on 43 asymptomatic volunteers (22 males and 21 females) aged 19-44 (27.8 ± 6.4) years. Rehabilitative Ultrasonic Imaging (RUSI) was simultaneously performed to measure muscle thickness in both rest and during AH maneuvers while activation of the TrA during AH was controlled by Pressure Biofeedback (PBF) device. Mixed-model ANOVA with repeated measures design, and Pearson correlation tests were used to... 

Background Wearing lumbosacral orthosis (LSO) is one of the most common treatments prescribed for conservative management of low back pain. Although the results of randomized controlled trials suggest effectiveness of LSO in reducing pain and disability in these patients, there is a concern that prolonged use of LSO may lead to trunk muscle weakness and atrophy. Purpose The present review aimed to evaluate available evidence in literature to determine whether LSO results in trunk muscle weakness or atrophy. Study Design This is a systematic review. Methods A systematic search of electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Medline (via Ovid) followed by hand search of... 

Background: Work-related risk factors of low back disorders have been identified to be external moments, awkward postures, and asymmetrical dynamic lifting amongst others. The distinct role of asymmetry of load versus posture is hard to discern from the literature. Hence, the aim of this study is to measure isometric trunk exertions at upright standing posture at different exertion level and degree of asymmetry to further delineate the effects of exertion level and asymmetry on neuromuscular capability response. Methods: Fifteen healthy volunteers randomly performed trunk exertions at three levels (30%, 60%, and 100% of maximum voluntary exertion and five different angles (0°, 45°, 90°,... 

It has been suggested that the central nervous system simplifies muscle control through basic units, called synergies. In this study, we have developed a novel target-matching protocol and used non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) technique to extract trunk muscle synergies and corresponding torque synergies. Isometric torque data at the L5/S1 level and electromyographic patterns of twelve abdominal and back muscles from twelve healthy participants (five females) were simultaneously recorded. Each participant performed a total number of 24 isometric target-matching tasks using 12 different angular directions and 2 levels of uniaxial and biaxial exertions. Within- and between-subject...