To compare the immediate effects of Kegel exercise alone and two types of hip muscle group exercise training with different degrees of contraction as well as combined training on thickness of the transverse abdominal muscle, and to explore the optimal training method for its activation.
30 healthy young women were selected as research participants, all of whom underwent Kegel exercises, mild-to-moderate hip adductor muscle training, and mild-to-moderate hip external rotation muscle training. The same subject underwent five types of training in random order. The interval between each training is 24 hours. Musculoskeletal ultrasound was used to measure resting transverse abdominal muscle and transverse abdominal muscle thickness after only one training session and five training sessions, and to compare the three measured transverse abdominal muscle thicknesses.
Regardless of the training method used in the first training session, there was a significant difference in the thickness of the transverse abdominal muscle after only one training session compared to that at rest (P0.01), and after five training sessions compared to that at rest and after only one training session (P0.01).
Choosing any of the five training methods for one session can instantly activate the transverse abdominal muscle, and a combination of the five training methods is more effective than training using solely one method.
The results of this study can be used to compare the effectiveness of methods for activation of the transverse abdominal muscle, providing an objective basis for core muscle training, related treatments, and research in clinical patients, thus providing rehabilitation guidance for patients with chronic lower back pain, rectus abdominis muscle separation, hemiplegia, and other conditions.
hip muscle group
joint training
