Article

Symmetric co-contraction of the transversus abdominis (TrA) muscle is beneficial
in terms of increasing trunk stability. The aim of this study was to investigate
the symmetry of lateral abdominal muscle thickness during static and dynamic
conditions. Fifteen male subjects (27.13 +/- 5.51 years old)
were instructed to
sit on a chair and maintain upright posture.
Every individual subject wore a
jacket harness that could be backwardly attached to a 9-kg weight through a
pulley system. An unexpected drop of the weight induced the transition from
static to dynamic condition.
The thickness of external oblique, internal oblique,
and TrA muscles was measured with ultrasonography.
Our results revealed more
symmetry of TrA thickness during the dynamic condition (21% vs. 13%, p = 0.019)
compared with the static.
The symmetric muscle thickness of TrA during the
dynamic condition is considered a result of more contraction on the non-dominant side. This phenomenon could be a possible strategy of deep abdominal muscles to
prevent spinal torsion during sudden trunk perturbation.
CI - Copyright (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS