Trunk muscle activation patterns, lumbar compressive forces, and spine stability when using the bodyblade
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Published on: August 25, 2022
Janice M Moreside1, Francisco J Vera-Garcia, Stuart M McGill
1Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Background And Purpose:
The objective of this study was to analyze the trunk muscle activation patterns, spine kinematics, and lumbar compressive forces that occur when using the Bodyblade, a popular tool in physical medicine clinics.
Subjects:
The participants were 14 male subjects who were healthy and who were recruited from a university population.
Methods:
With data collected from surface electromyography of selected trunk and shoulder muscles, video analysis, and a 3-dimensional lumbar spine position sensor, modeling methods were used to quantify L4-5 compressive forces and spine stability.
Results:
Large-amplitude oscillation of a vertically oriented Bodyblade resulted in the greatest activation levels of the internal oblique and external oblique muscles (average amplitude=48% and 26% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction, respectively), which were associated with L4-5 compressive forces as high as 4,328 N. Instantaneous stability increased with well-coordinated effort, muscle activation, and compression, but decreased when subjects had poor technique.
Discussion And Conclusion:
The way the Bodyblade is used may either enhance or compromise spine stability. Associated lumbar compressive forces may be inappropriate for some people with compression-intolerant lumbar spine pathology.
