Feedforward coactivation of trunk muscles during rapid shoulder movements

Shoulder movements that involve unilateral and bilateral flexion, extension, abduction, and asymmetrical flexion-extension cause the activity of trunk muscles. There has not been a fixed consensus on the onset of deep trunk muscle activities including the psoas major (PM), quadratus lumborum (QL), transversus abdominis (TrA), and lumbar multifidus (MF) during shoulder movements. The purpose of this study was to measure the onset of electromyographic activity of the deep trunk muscles during rapid shoulder movements and clarify the coordinated activity pattern of the deep trunk muscles during 11 shoulder movements.

Thirteen men participated in this study. The onset of activity of the right deep trunk muscles (PM, QL, TrA, and MF) were measured using fine-wire electrodes, and those of the right and left deltoid (anterior, middle, and posterior) and right superficial trunk muscles (rectus abdominis, external oblique [EO], and internal oblique [IO]) were measured using surface electrodes as participants performed 6 types of unilateral, 3 types of bilateral, and 2 types of asymmetrical rapid shoulder movements. We defined feedforward activation as the onset of activity of trunk muscle before or within +50 ms onset of the deltoid muscle and feedback activation as that after +50 ms. A 1-way analysis of variance was performed to compare the onset of activity of each muscle during each shoulder movement.

The mean onset of activity of the PM (26.0 ms), QL (13.1 ms), TrA (-19.7 ms), and MF (20.4 ms) muscles demonstrated feedforward activation during left shoulder flexion. The onset of activity of the TrA (1.6-48.7 ms), rectus abdominis (-1.7 to 17.3 ms), and EO (5.6-40.8 ms) muscles demonstrated feedforward activation during left, right, and bilateral shoulder extension. The onset of activity of the PM (22.9 ms), QL (23.0 ms), TrA (18.9 ms), and EO (15.4 ms) demonstrated feedforward activation during left shoulder abduction, while that of the IO (4.4-10.9 ms) only demonstrated feedforward activation during right and bilateral shoulder abduction. The onset of activity of the TrA (-27.6 ms) and IO (-23.9 ms) demonstrated feedforward activation during left shoulder flexion-right shoulder extension, and that of the MF (33.4 ms) and EO (-17.2 ms), during left shoulder extension-right shoulder flexion.

Rapid shoulder movements occur with coordinated muscle activation of the deep trunk muscles depending on the direction of shoulder movements. Feedforward activation of single or combined deep trunk muscles may facilitate rapid shoulder movements.