Effects of Lumbar Stabilization on Abdominal Muscles Activity During Double Straight Leg Lowering

To improve abdominal muscles strengthening, double straight leg lowering (DSLL) has been widely used in physical therapy, fitness program, and athletic program. The purpose of this study was to inves-tigate the effects of the lumbar stabilization maneuver with a pressure biofeedback unit on the muscle activity of rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), and internal oblique (IO) during DSLL. Fourteen healthy young men were recruited from university population. The electromyography (EMG) activity was recorded from the RA, EO, and IO of both sides. The normalized EMG activity was compared using a paired t-test. The study showed that EMG activity in the RA, EO, and IO was significantly higher dur-ing DSLL with lumbar stabilization (DSLL-LS) compared to performed DSLL (p<.05). These results sug-gest that DSLL-LS is recommended as an effective method for strengthening exercise for the abdominal muscles.