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Spine kinematics and trunk muscle activity during bipedal standing using unstable footwear
Author(s) -
Buchecker M.,
Stöggl T.,
Müller E.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/sms.12053
Subject(s) - barefoot , medicine , trunk , kinematics , lumbar , physical medicine and rehabilitation , electromyography , erector spinae muscles , rehabilitation , thoracic spine , physical therapy , anatomy , physics , ecology , classical mechanics , biology
The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of unstable footwear on spine kinematics and trunk muscle activity during bipedal stance. Therefore, spinal alignment and concurrent angular velocity measures were assessed in 27 asymptomatic adults while standing with unstable M asai B arefoot T echnology ( MBT ) shoes and standard footwear, respectively, employing a multisegmental three‐dimensional trunk model. Electromyographic ( EMG ) analyses included recordings of the rectus abdominis, internal oblique, external oblique, upper thoracic paraspinals, lower thoracic erector spinae, and lumbar erector spinae. Kinematic and EMG variables were compared for the two shoe conditions via paired S tudent's t ‐tests (α = 0.05). Results showed that wearing unstable MBT shoes increased flexion at the mid‐thoracic level (0.8°; P = 0.001) and led to greater mean velocities of angular displacement at the thoracolumbar (11.2%; P = 0.003) and at the lumbopelvic (10.8%; P = 0.02) regions, accompanied by more lumbar erector spinae activity (18.2%; P = 0.003). Accordingly, using MBT shoes may have potential implications in promoting spine tissue health, notably at the low back area, through expected improvements in terms of muscle conditioning and/or motor performance. However, additional investigations are warranted to further examine the framework of unstable footwear constructions within prevention and rehabilitation settings.