Muscle function and size in the lumbar spine before and after a four week exercise intervention
Jonathan Fulford1, Vladimira Juroskova2, Judith R Meakin3
1Exeter NIHR Clinical Research Facility, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Background:
Exercise of the spinal muscles is recommended for a variety of rehabilitative reasons but it is not always clear whether interventions are effective in improving the performance of the muscles or whether their benefit is elicited via other mechanisms.
Objective:
To explore the effects of an exercise intervention on the size and exercise performance of the lumbar spine extensor muscles.
Methods:
Eleven healthy participants undertook a four week programme of exercise. Magnetic resonance imaging and phosphorus spectroscopy were performed before and after the intervention to determine the time to fatigue and phosphocreatine (PCr) depletion during a muscle endurance test (modified Biering-Sørensen) together with muscle cross-sectional area (CSA).
Results:
The post intervention measures were significantly different to the pre-intervention results for the time to fatigue (post-pre: 20.5 ± 22.7 s (P= 0.014)) and PCr depletion both at the point of fatigue (post-pre: 9.5 ± 11.9% (P= 0.024)) and at a matched time-point (post-pre: 12.2 ± 11.9% (P= 0.007)). CSA was not significantly different in any muscle.
Conclusions:
Exercise improved the performance of the trunk muscles despite no impact on CSA. This demonstrated the importance of obtaining a wide range of measures when assessing the effectiveness of exercise intervention programmes.
More Related Videos
07:44Evaluation of Patients' Posture and Gait Profile After Lumbar Fusion Surgery by Video Rasterstereography and Treadmill Gait Analysis
Published on: March 23, 2019
09:21Muscle Function Obtained with Motion Mode Ultrasound and Surface Electromyography during Core Endurance Exercise
Published on: August 25, 2022
Related Concept Videos
01:27Exercise and Muscle Performance
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
01:27Muscles of the Vertebral Column
Superficial Layer:
The superficial layer consists primarily of the splenius muscles, which include the splenius capitis and splenius cervicis. These muscles are mainly responsible for the head and cervical spine movements, including extension, rotation, and lateral bending. The splenius capitis...