The Effect of Ground Poles and Elastic Resistance Bands on Longissimus Dorsi and Rectus Abdominus Muscle Activity During Equine Walk and Trot.
Authors: Shaw Karen, Ursini Tena, Levine David, Richards Jim, Adair Steve
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Ground Poles and Elastic Bands for Core Strengthening in Horses Therapeutic exercise programmes often aim to enhance core stability and postural control in horses, yet few studies have objectively measured the muscular responses to common training tools. Shaw and colleagues used surface electromyography to quantify activation of the longissimus dorsi (epaxial stabiliser) and rectus abdominis (core flexor) muscles in six horses performing walk and trot over ground poles (spaced at 30 inches for walk, 48 inches for trot) with and without elastic resistance bands applied at 25% stretch. Ground poles at walk significantly increased peak muscle activation bilaterally in both muscles studied, with sustained increases in average activation particularly evident in the rectus abdominis; at trot, the effect was more modest, showing significant increases only in the rectus abdominis peak activation. Elastic resistance bands produced approximately 27% increase in mean core muscle activity, though only the left rectus abdominis showed statistical significance, suggesting inconsistent or lateralised responses that warrant further investigation. These findings validate ground poles as an effective tool for engaging core and epaxial musculature during walk work, whilst indicating that elastic resistance bands show promise but require additional research to optimise their application and understand individual variation in response.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Incorporate ground poles into therapeutic exercise programs to reliably increase core muscle engagement at both walk and trot gaits
- •Ground poles at walk appear most effective for activating postural stability muscles; consider this gait for therapeutic protocols targeting longissimus dorsi and rectus abdominus
- •Elastic resistance bands show promise for core engagement but require further investigation before routine clinical recommendation; current evidence supports their use at trot rather than walk
Key Findings
- •Ground poles at walk significantly increased maximum low pass values bilaterally in longissimus dorsi and rectus abdominus muscles
- •Ground poles at trot significantly increased maximum low pass values bilaterally in rectus abdominus muscles only
- •Elastic resistance bands produced 27-27.2% increase in mean average rectified value of rectus abdominus muscles, with statistical significance only in left RA (p < 0.05)
- •Ground poles demonstrate greater efficacy for engaging core and epaxial muscles than elastic resistance bands