Electrical muscle stimulation for deep stabilizing muscles in abdominal wall.

Low back pain is associated with dysfunction in recruitment of muscles in the lumbopelvic region. Effective rehabilitation requires preferential activation of deep stabilizing muscle groups. This study was carried out in order to quantify the response of deep stabilizing muscles (transverses abdominis) and superficial muscle in the abdominal wall (external oblique) to electrical muscle stimulation (EMS). Results demonstrate that EMS can preferentially stimulate contractions in the deep stabilizers and may have significant potential as a therapeutic intervention in this area, pending further refinements to the technology.