NEUROMUSCULAR MECHANISMS AND EFFECTS OF CORE STABILIZATIONS ON TRUNK AND HIP MUSCLE ACTIVITY DURING LIFTING MOVEMENT

While the presence of lumbopelvic-hip stabilization has been provided as an importance component of the intra-abdominal pressure and dynamic spinal stabilization prior to movement, no previous study has investigated the effects in nonsymptomatic adults. This study investigated neuromuscular mechanisms and effects by comparing the natural core stabilization (NCS), abdominal bracing stabilization (ABS), and coordinated core stabilization (CCS) techniques in nonsymptomatic adults during lifting movement. A convenience sample of 40 nonsymptomatic adults (mean +/- standard deviation, 27.13 +/- 3.82; 27 males, 13 females) were randomized into the NCS, ABS, and CCS techniques during lifting movement. The clinical outcomes included the deep and local (transverse abdominis (TrA), internal oblique (IO), and gluteus maximus (Gmax)) and superficial and global muscle (thoracic erector spinae (TES), lumbar erector spinae (LES), and external oblique (EO)) activation and balance ratios (IO/LES and Gmax/LES) and onset time co-activation ratios (IO/LES and Gmax/LES). One-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni correction revealed that the IO/LES and Gmax/LES balance and activation ratios were greater in CCS than in NCS and ABS. The onset time co-activation ratio was improved in CCS as compared with NCS and ABS, and ABS dropped equally inversely to NCS. Our results provide novel therapeutic evidence that CCS-based lifting movement is more balanced or coordinated in terms of neuromuscular control than the other techniques and may be used as an alternative exercise for core stabilization.