THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEGMENTAL ROLLING ABILITY AND LUMBAR MULTIFIDUS ACTIVATION TIME

Area of Science:

• Kinesiology
• Biomechanical Analysis
• Motor Control

Background:

• Segmental rolling is used to assess and treat upper quarter, core, and lower quarter dysfunctions.
• A lack of segmental spinal control/stabilization is theorized to cause dysfunctional rolling.
• No current assessment tool evaluates motor coordination of local and global musculature for spinal stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the temporal sequence of lumbar multifidus activation relative to anterior deltoid activation.
• To determine if faulty muscle firing sequencing is associated with the inability to segmentally roll in subjects without mobility restrictions.
• To investigate if corrective exercise can address faulty firing patterns in a pilot study.

Main Methods:

• Electromyography (EMG) recorded multifidus and anterior deltoid activation in 20 healthy subjects.
• Subjects were divided into 'can roll' (n=9) and 'can't roll' (n=11) cohorts based on segmental rolling ability.
• Muscle onset latency was calculated as the time difference between multifidus and anterior deltoid contraction.

Main Results:

• Lumbar multifidus activated 16.67ms before the anterior deltoid in the 'can roll' group.
• Lumbar multifidus activation occurred 57.36ms after the anterior deltoid in the 'can't roll' group.
• A statistically significant difference (p<0.00) in muscle firing time was observed between the two cohorts.

Conclusions:

• In individuals who can segmentally roll, lumbar multifidus activation precedes prime mover activation.
• A delay in lumbar multifidus activation relative to the prime mover is confirmed in individuals unable to segmentally roll.
• Faulty sequencing of lumbar multifidus firing may be linked to the inability to perform segmental rolling.