Abdominal draw-in maneuver combined with simulated weight bearing increases transversus abdominis and internal oblique thickness

ABSTRACT

The abdominal draw-in maneuver (ADIM) is a method commonly used to reestablish neuromuscular control of the deep spine muscles among individuals with musculoskeletal problems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of ADIM combined with simulated weight-bearing (SWB) activities in the facilitation of the deep spine muscles. The subjects were 30 young healthy individuals. Ultrasound images were used to measure the relative changes in transverse abdominal (TrA), internal oblique (IO) and external oblique (EO) muscle thickness during a simulated weight-bearing ADIM (SWB-ADIM). A paired t-test was used to determine the differences between the ADIM and SWB-ADIM conditions. The results showed that the thickness of the TrA and IO muscles in the SWB-ADIM condition was significantly higher than in the ADIM-alone condition. Our findings suggest that SWB-ADIM is more effective than ADIM alone for improving the deep spine muscles in real-life situations.

KEYWORDS:

• Abdominal draw-in maneuver
• abdominal muscles
• ultrasonography

Funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2013S1A5B8A01055336).

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2013S1A5B8A01055336).