title: Electromyographic evaluation of abdominal-muscle function with and without concomitant pelvic-floor-muscle contraction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Coactivation of abdominal and pelvic-floor muscles (PFM) is an issue considered by researchers recently. Electromyography (EMG) studies have shown that the abdominal-muscle activity is a normal response to PFM activity, and increase in EMG activity of the PFM concomitant with abdominal-muscle contraction was also reported.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to compare the changes in EMG activity of the deep abdominal muscles during abdominal-muscle contraction (abdominal hollowing and bracing) with and without concomitant PFM contraction in healthy and low-back-pain (LBP) subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 2 × 2 repeated-measures design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  30 subjects (15 with LBP, 15 without LBP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Peak rectified EMG of abdominal muscles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No difference in EMG of abdominal muscles with and without concomitant PFM contraction in abdominal hollowing (P = .84) and abdominal bracing (P = .53). No difference in EMG signal of abdominal muscles with and without PFM contraction between LBP and healthy subjects in both abdominal hollowing (P = .88) and abdominal bracing (P = .98) maneuvers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adding PFM contraction had no significant effect on abdominal-muscle contraction in subjects with and without LBP.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Rehabilitation Science, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Nahid
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tahan
authors.forename: Amir Massoud
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Arab
authors.forename: Bita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vaseghi
authors.forename: Khosro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Khademi
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult