The Effect of Current Low Back Pain on Volitional Preemptive Abdominal Activation During a Loaded Forward Reach Activity.

Background: A volitional preemptive abdominal contraction (VPAC) supports trunk stability during functional activity. Pain-free individuals can sustain VPAC during function, but such has not been reported for individuals with current low back pain (cLBP).

Objective: To examine whether cLBP affects VPAC performance during a loaded forward reach (LFR) task.

Co-contractive activation of the superficial multifidus during volitional preemptive abdominal contraction.

Objective: To investigate whether the superficial multifidus (MF) muscle at the lower lumbar spine displayed co-contraction during volitional preemptive abdominal contraction (VPAC) through the abdominal drawing-in maneuver (ADIM) or the abdominal bracing maneuver (ABM) in 3 different postural positions.

Design: A within-subject cohort design.

Setting: A clinical laboratory.

Thoracic outlet syndrome: a controversial clinical condition. Part 2: non-surgical and surgical management.

Background: Proper management of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) requires an understanding of the underlying causes of the disorder. A comprehensive examination process, as described in Part 1 of this review, can reveal the bony and soft tissue abnormalities and mechanical dysfunctions contributing to an individual's TOS symptoms.

Objective: Part 2 of this review focuses on management of TOS.

Thoracic outlet syndrome: a controversial clinical condition. Part 1: anatomy, and clinical examination/diagnosis.

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is a frequently overlooked peripheral nerve compression or tension event that creates difficulties for the clinician regarding diagnosis and management. Investigators have categorized this condition as vascular versus neurogenic, where vascular TOS can be subcategorized as either arterial or venous and neurogenic TOS can subcategorized as either true or disputed. The thoracic outlet anatomical container presents with several key regional components, each capable of compromising the neurovascular structures coursing within.

The deep neck flexor endurance test: normative data scores in healthy adults.

Objective: To investigate (1) the average hold time for the deep neck flexors (DNF) endurance test in subjects without neck pain or pathology, and (2) whether different groups of subjects categorized by age, gender, and lifestyle display different hold times.

Design: Normative research.

Patients: A convenience sample of 126 adults participated.

Changes in transversus abdominis thickness with use of the abdominal drawing-in maneuver during a functional task.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine an individual's ability to produce an increase in transversus abdominis (TrA) thickness during the performance of a functional task with the use of the abdominal drawing-in maneuver (ADIM).

Design: Within-subject repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine the effects of the ADIM and a loaded forward-reaching activity on the dependent variable of TrA thickness.

Setting: Laboratory.