"Core Muscle Activation during Swiss Ball and Traditional Abdominal Exercises"

Image Courtesy of JOSPT

It seems today that every movement dysfunction can somehow be related to a deficiency in core stability. While this is an exaggeration, the importance of core strength and endurance has become a hot topic in recent research and should be carefully evaluated with many of your patients.  

This article does a nice job exploring the various core strengthening exercises that we often prescribe patients. The article highlights muscle activation of the upper and lower rectus abdominus, external oblique, internal oblique, lumbar paraspinals, latissimus dorsi, and rectus femoris muscles during common therapeutic exercises. It demonstrates which exercises elicit the highest maximum voluntary isometric contractions and how to get the most bang for your buck when selecting core interventions. 

Highlights: 
-The Roll-out Exercise and Pike Exercise were the most effective in activating core muscles. 
-Prone Position swiss ball exercises were as effective as kneeling and supine exercises. 
-The traditional crunch has fairly high upper rectus abdominus muscle activation, but lower activation in the internal oblique, external oblique, and lower rectus abdominus.

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Muscle Review:

Rectus Abdominus:
Origin: Pubic Crest and Symphysis Pubis.
Insertion: Costal Cartilages of ribs 5-7 and xiphoid process.
Action: Flexes the vertebral colum and compresses the abdomen.
Innervation: Intercostal Nerves 7-12

External Oblique:
Origin: External Surfaces of ribs 5-12.
Insertion: Anterior Iliac Crest, abdominal aponeurosis to linea alba. 
Action: Flexes the vertebral column, laterally flexes vertebral column, and compresses the abdomen. 
Innervation: Intercostal Nerves 8-12, iliohypogastric and ilioinguinal nerves.

Internal Oblique:
Origin: Anterior Iliac crest, lateral half of the inguinal ligament, and thoracolumbar fascia.
Insertion: Costal Cartilages of ribs 8-12. Aponeurosis of Linea alba.
Action: Flexes vertebral column, laterally flexes vertebral column, and compresses abdomen
Innervation: Intercostal Nerves 8-12, iliohypogastric and ilioinguinal nerves.