Abstract
Bridging exercises are commonly performed by people with low back pain (LBP).
However, the effect of the contraction mode in a bridging exercise on the
hemodynamics of the low back muscle has not been investigated in people with and
without LBP. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of the mode of
bridging exercise on oxygenation of the low back muscle. A near-infrared
spectroscopy was used to measure hemodynamic responses of the erector spinae
between isometric and dynamic bridging exercises in 16 healthy participants. The
results demonstrated that during exercise, the isometric bridging exercise
significantly decreased oxyhemoglobin and deoxy-hemoglobin compared to the
dynamic bridging exercise (oxyhemoglobin, t=− 3.109, p=0.007,
Cohen’s d=0.68 and deoxy-hemoglobin, t=− 2.193, P=0.046,
Cohen’s d=0.60). The results also demonstrated that after exercise, the
dynamic bridging exercise induced a significantly higher oxygenation response
(oxygenation, t=− 2.178, P=0.048, Cohen’s d=0.43). This
study indicates that the dynamic bridging exercise is more effective in
improving oxygenation of low back muscles.
Keywords
exercise hyperemia - functional hyperemia - oxygenation - rhythmic exercise - static exercise
