It is important that compensatory lateral movement of the pelvis does not occur during side-lying hip abduction (SHA). The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of abdominal hollowing and abdominal bracing during SHA on pelvic lateral rotation (PLR) and the electromyography activity of the gluteus medius, quadratus lumborum (QL), external oblique abdominis (EO) and internal oblique abdominis (IO). A total of 22 healthy male adults participated in the study. The subjects performed three conditions in side-lying in random order: SHA with abdominal hollowing (SHA-AH), SHA with abdominal bracing (SHA-AB), and SHA without any condition (SHA-WC). The angle of PLR in SHA-AB was significantly lower compared to SHA-AH and SHA-WC, and angle of PLR in SHA-AH was significantly lower than that in SHA-WC. The muscle activity of the QL was significantly greater for SHA-AB compared to SHA-AH and SHA-WC. The muscle activity of the EO was significantly greater for SHA-AB compared to SHA-AH and SHA-WC. And the muscle activity of the EO for SHA-AH was significantly greater than that for SHA-WC. The muscle activity of the IO was significantly greater for SHA-AH and SHA-AB compared to SHA-WC. Based on these results, we suggest that abdominal bracing increases the muscle activity of QL, EO, and IO, and decreases the angle of PLR compare to abdominal hollowing during SHA.

Context:Several factors, such as balance and respiration training programs, have been identified as contributing to a shooting performance. However, little is known about the benefits of these programs on the shooting records of adolescent air rifle athletes.Objective:The purpose of this study was to investigate whether balance and respiration training can contribute to the shooting performance required for adolescent air rifle shooting athletes.Design:Case-control study.Setting:Shooting range.Participants:A total of 21 adolescent air rifle athletes were recruited from the local school community and assigned to an experimental (n = 11; EG) or control (n = 10; CG) group.Intervention:The EG performed respiration and balance training for 30 minutes 3 times a week for 6 weeks, and the CG performed balance training only.Main Outcome Measures:Data were collected on the respiratory function, muscle activity, and shooting record before and after the 6-week intervention.Results:The forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in 1 second (FEV₁), FEV₁as a percentage of FVC, peak expiratory flow, and maximum voluntary ventilation were significantly increased in the EG, and FEV₁as a percentage of FVC was significantly increased in the CG (P < .05). The FVC and peak expiratory flow postintervention were significantly different between the groups (P < .05). The activity of the right internal oblique (IO) and left IO muscles of the FVC were significantly different in the EG (P < .05). Within-group changes in right external oblique, right IO, and left IO of the maximum voluntary ventilation were significantly increased in the EG (P < .05). The right IO and left IO activity improved more significantly in the EG than CG (P < .05). There was no difference between the groups with respect to the shooting records.Conclusions:The clinical significance of this study is the balance and respiration training affected the respiration function capacity and muscle activity, but did not affect the shooting record. Nevertheless, these training are a potential approach method to improve athletes’ shooting record.

Han-kyu Park, PT, PhD, Tae-ho Kim, PT, PhD, Dong-woo Kim, PT, PhD. Phys. Ther. Korea 2020;27:185-90. https://doi.org/10.12674/ptk.2020.27.3.185

This study investigated the effects of applying the abdominal draw-in maneuver (ADIM) and manual resistance (MR), separately and in combination, during prone hip extension (PHE) on muscle activity and anterior pelvic tilt. Twenty-four healthy adult males performed PHE under three randomized conditions: ADIM, MR, and ADIM combined with MR. Electromyography was used to measure gluteus maximus (GM), erector spinae (ES), internal oblique (IO), and hamstring activity, while anterior pelvic tilt angle was assessed using a gyroscopic sensor. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant differences across conditions (p < 0.05). Post hoc analysis showed that GM and IO activity were significantly greater in the ADIM combined with MR condition than in either ADIM or MR alone, with MR also producing higher values than ADIM (p < 0.05). ES activity was lowest in the ADIM condition, while ADIM combined with MR produced lower ES activity than MR (p < 0.05). The GM/ES ratio was highest in ADIM combined with MR compared with the other conditions (p < 0.05). Anterior pelvic tilt angle was significantly smaller in both the ADIM and ADIM combined with MR conditions compared with MR (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that combined ADIM with MR induces strong IO contraction and enhances lumbopelvic stability, leading to substantially increased GM activity.