Background: Uncontrolled lumbopelvic movement leads to asymmetric symptoms and causes pain in the lumbar and pelvic regions. So many patients have uncontrolled lumbopelvic movement. Passive support devices are used for unstable lumbopelvic patient. So, we need to understand that influence of passive support on lumbopelvic stability. It is important to examine that using the pelvic belt on abdominal muscle activity, pelvic rotation and pelvic tilt.
Objects: This study observed abdominal muscle activity, pelvic rotation and tilt angles were compared during active straight leg raise (ASLR) with and without pelvic compression belt.
Methods: Sixteen healthy women were participated in this study. ASRL with and without pelvic compression belt was performed for 5 sec, until their leg touched the target bar that was set 20 ㎝ above the base. Surface electromyography was recorded from rectus abdominis (RA), internal oblique abdominis (IO), and external oblique abdominis (EO) bilaterally. And pelvic rotation and tilt angles were measured by motion capture system.
Results: There were significantly less activities of left EO (p=.042), right EO (p=.031), left IO (p=.039), right IO (p=.019), left RA (p=.044), and right RA (p=.042) and a greater right pelvic rotation angle (p=.008) and anterior pelvic tilt angle (p<.001) during ASLR with pelvic compression belt.
Conclusion: These results showed that abdominal activity was reduced while the right pelvic rotation angle and anterior pelvic tilt angle were increased during ASLR with a pelvic compression belt. In other words, although pelvic compression belt could support abdominal muscle activity, it would be difficult to control pelvic movement. So pelvic belt would not be useful for controlled ASLR.