Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of bridging exercise on different support surfaces on the thickness of the musculus transversus abdominis and lower extremity muscle activities.
Subjects: Thirty-five students of H University. [Methods] The experimental group (n=18) performed bridging exercise on the sling support surface, and the control group (n=17) performed bridging exercise on a general support surface.
Results: Thickness changes in the musculus transversus abdominis were 0.35 cm in the experimental group, and 0.17 cm in the control group, suggesting that the experimental group showed a more significant change. For the lower extremity muscular activity, there was a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group only in the biceps femoris muscle.
Conclusion: Based on these results, we consider that bridging exercise on a sling support surface would increase the thickness of the transversus abdominis and lower extremity muscle activities in rehabilitation programs for patients with back pain.
Key words: Bridging exercise, Sling exercise, Transversus abdominis
