Acute Responses of Postural Alignment, Kinematic Synergy, and Intermuscular Coherence to Postural Muscle Facilitation (Retrospective)

NCT ID: NCT05912751

Last Updated: 2023-06-22

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 10 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2021-08-10
• Study Completion Date: 2022-04-14

Brief Summary

Postural alignment is often intervened upon in health, fitness, and physical medicine settings. Despite a long tradition in this area, current notions of optimal or normal posture are superficial and often logically inconsistent. A recent attempt to reconcile diverging opinions about good posture proposes that alignment be considered in relation to individual joints' natural tendencies to collapse under gravity. This theory allows different maladaptive postures to be described in terms of functional deficits and compensatory adaptations at the muscular level. Working within this type of theory, postural interventions may be able to account for comparative advantages in maintaining alignment between different muscle systems. This would represent a step forward from current practices, which usually attempt to force arbitrary alignment patterns indiscriminately.

The current study presents motion capture and electromyography (EMG) data evaluating the effects of two interventions on individual participants' bipedal standing alignment patterns with respect to the gravitational collapsing tendencies referenced above. Additional outcomes included functional grouping of muscle activation signals (via intermuscular coherence) and kinetic chain continuity. The interventions include 1) an experimental intervention purported to engage muscles that naturally resist the collapsing effects of gravity, and 2) a control intervention designed to inhibit other muscle groups that are sometimes involved in maintaining bipedal alignment in a compensatory role. Study outcomes are measured before and after both interventions to quantify the acute effects of each. All participants complete both interventions in random order, crossing over after a one-week washout period. This research will provide insight into the acute effects of studied interventions, specifically those relating to maintenance of bipedal alignment with respect to gravitational collapsing tendencies.

Conditions

Posture; Musculoskeletal Equilibrium

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Exercise Then Foam Roll

This arm (sequence) will first complete the exercise intervention promoting muscular engagement resisting gravitational collapsing tendencies, then the control intervention involving self-myofascial release of muscle groups not thought to resist gravitational collapse.

Group Type: OTHER

Exercise Then Foam Roll

Intervention Type: OTHER

Participants in AB will perform the experimental (exercise) intervention first and the control (foam rolling) intervention second.

Foam Roll Then Exercise

This arm (sequence) will first complete the control intervention involving self-myofascial release of muscle groups not thought to resist gravitational collapse, then the exercise intervention promoting muscular engagement resisting gravitational collapsing tendencies.

Group Type: OTHER

Foam Roll Then Exercise

Intervention Type: OTHER

Participants in BA will perform the control (foam rolling) intervention first and the experimental (exercise) intervention second.

Interventions

Exercise Then Foam Roll

Participants in AB will perform the experimental (exercise) intervention first and the control (foam rolling) intervention second.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Foam Roll Then Exercise

Participants in BA will perform the control (foam rolling) intervention first and the experimental (exercise) intervention second.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Other Intervention Names

AB; BA

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Healthy adult
• 18 - 40 years of age

Exclusion Criteria

• Recent (< 6 months) history of lower extremity injury
• Recent (< 6 months) history of other musculoskeletal or neurological disorder affecting balance
• Contraindications to participation in physical activity

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 40 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Radford University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Stephen Glass

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Stephen Glass, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Radford University

Locations

Radford University Carilion

Roanoke, Virginia, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

2021-288-RUC (Retrospective)

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id