Retraining motor control of abdominal muscles among elite cricketers with low back pain

The purpose of this study was to document the effect of a staged stabilization training program on the motor control of the anterolateral abdominal muscles in elite cricketers with and without low back pain (LBP). Changes in the cross-sectional area of the trunk, the thickness of the internal oblique and transversus abdominis (TrA) muscles and the shortening of the TrA muscle in response to an abdominal drawing-in task were measured at the start and completion of a 13-week cricket training camp. Measures were performed using ultrasound imaging and magnetic resonance imaging. Participants from the group with LBP underwent a stabilization training program that involved performing voluntary contractions of the multifidus, TrA and pelvic floor muscles, while receiving feedback from ultrasound imaging. By the end of the training camp, the motor control of cricketers with LBP who received the stabilization training improved and was similar to that of the cricketers without LBP.