Innovative exercise device for the abdominal trunk muscles: An early validation study

Abstract

BackgroundExercise is one of the few treatments that provide significant improvements in chronic low back pain (CLBP). We developed an innovative exercise device for abdominal trunk muscles. This device can be used in a sitting or standing position and contains a built-in system to measure abdominal trunk muscle strength. We examined whether subjects can adequately use the device to perform the exercises and measure their abdominal trunk muscle strength.MethodsWe collected data on the body height, body weight, body mass index, and girth of 30 healthy male volunteers, and measured their grip power and trunk extensor muscle strength using a dynamometer. The volunteers performed a sit-up test as an indicator of trunk flexor muscle strength, and we measured their abdominal muscle strength using the device. We then evaluated the correlations between abdominal trunk muscle strength and anthropometric parameters as well as the strength of other muscles. In subsequent tests, 5 of the 30 subjects participated in two positron emission tomography (PET) series consisting of examinations after a resting period (control study) and during exercise (exercise study). For the exercise study, the subjects performed 2 sets of exercises for 20 minutes using the device before and after an injection of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). PET-computed tomography images were obtained 60 minutes after FDG injection in each study. We compared the skeletal muscle metabolism of the participants in both studies using the standardized uptake value.ResultsThe muscle strength measured by the device and the 30-second sit-up frequency were correlated. FDG accumulation within the diaphragm and abdominal rectus muscles was significantly higher in the exercise study.ConclusionOur innovative exercise device facilitates a coordinated contraction of the abdominal trunk muscles at the anterior aspect and the roof of the core, and enables subjects to measure the strength of these muscles.

Efficacy and Safety of Abdominal Trunk Muscle Strengthening Using an Innovative Device in Elderly Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study

“…Previous studies reported that muscle strength measurement and device-driven strengthening exercises did not exert adverse effects in young adults [ 17 , 18 ]. Similarly, in the present study, use of the device for 12 weeks did not produce adverse effects in elderly patients with CLBP.…”

“…The device resembles a sphygmomanometer, with an inflatable cuff and a mechanical manometer for measuring pressure [ 17 ] ( Fig. 1 ).…”

“…Additionally, exercises and strength measures carried out with the device do not induce stress and/or pain in the lumbar spine or the extremities. A prior validation study demonstrated that the device could measure muscle strength and featured excellent intraand inter-rater reliability [ 17 , 18 ]. Another study found that strength training with the device increased both the strength and activation of the abdominal trunk muscles, including the diaphragm, abdominal rectus, external and internal obliques, transverse abdominal muscles, and pelvic floor muscles [ 18 ].…”

Abdominal trunk muscle weakness and its association with chronic low back pain and risk of falling in older women

“…As previously described in detail [18], the device has an inflatable cuff and a built-in mechanical manometer to measure pressure. To take a measurement, the cuff placed around the subject’s abdomen is inflated, and an adequate pressure (i.e., the baseline pressure: Fig.…”

“…We developed an innovative exercise device for the abdominal trunk muscles (Fig. 1: trunk muscle exercise device; Nippon Sigmax Co., Ltd., Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan) [18]. Using this device, subjects can perform strengthening exercises for the abdominal trunk muscles in a sitting position without the need for trunk movement, including movement of the lumbar spine.…”