Comparison of trunk muscle thickness according to the type of feedback during spinal stabilization exercise in standing posture

Objective: Patients with low back pain can possibly have impaired core muscle function, which is the common cause of low back pain. Spinal stabilization exercises are recommended for prevention and reinforcement. This study aimed to compare the effects of different types of feedback on abdominal and lumbar multifidus (LM) muscle recruitment during spinal stabilization exercises. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Fifty-seven healthy subjects (sex=male 21/female 36, age=21.28±1.60 years) were divided into three different groups: the control group (n=19), the auditory feedback (AF) group (n=19), and the visual and auditory feedback (VAF) group (n=19). The control group received no feedback, whereas the AF group only received AF during exercises and the VAF group received the AF and visual feedback through the real-time ultrasound images. The main outcome measure was the assessment of the thickness of the abdominal muscles and LM measured by a dual ultrasound. Results: When VAF was applied, the thickness of the transverse abdominis significantly increased rather than when feedback was not applied or with AF only (p<0.05). The VAF group showed significant differences in both the control group and the AF group in the post-hoc test (p<0.05), and there was no significant difference between the control group and the AF group. Conclusions: With spinal stabilization exercises, VAF should be applied in standing posture for healthy adults to further promote the production of effective contractions.