Effect of Using Back Brace for 8 Weeks on Electromyogrphic Activity in Women With Chrononic Back Pain During Gait

Purpose: The present research evaluated the effect of using a back brace for 8 weeks on the Electromyography (EMG) activity of the selected muscles among individuals with chronic back pain in the mid-stance phase of walking. Methods: This quasi-experimental research evaluated 22 women with chronic back pain in terms of erector spinae muscles activity, abdominal erectus, abdominal external oblique, and abdominal internal oblique. The study participants were randomly selected and divided into the experimental and control groups. The experimental group employed back brace for 8 weeks. Before and after using the brace, the EMG activity was recorded in both groups. The Independent t-test and Paired t-test were used to analyze the data (P≤0.05) in SPSS. Results: In the experimental group, the EMG activity of erector spinae and abdominal erectus muscle in the mid-stance phase of walking was significantly less than that of the control group. However, there was no significant difference in respect of external and internal oblique muscles in the experimental group compared to the controls (P>0.05). Conclusion: Using brace can reduce the activity of erector spinae and abdominal erectus muscle in the mid-stance phase of walking. Kinematic and kinetic studies are necessary to describe the reasons for these changes because of back brace use.