Tape measure-based real-time feedback during the abdominal draw-in maneuver facilitates isolated transverse abdominal contraction.

[Purpose] Although the abdominal draw-in maneuver improves delayed onset of transverse abdomen in patients with low back pain, it is difficult to perform. We investigated whether the maneuver with tape measure-based feedback was more effective in facilitating isolated transverse abdominal muscle contractions than that without feedback in healthy participants. [Participants and Methods] Twenty healthy males performed the maneuver without feedback (control condition) and then with feedback using a tape measure (tape measure condition) in the crook lying, sitting, and standing positions. A B-mode ultrasonography imaging system was used to determine lateral abdominal muscle thicknesses, the percent changes from before the maneuver were calculated for each condition, and the main effects and interactions for each tested muscle were determined. [Results] The percent change in the thickness of the transverse abdominal muscle was significantly greater under the tape measure condition than under the control condition. The percent change in internal oblique thickness during the maneuver was significantly greater in the standing position than in the crook lying or sitting positions. Significant condition-by-position interactions were not observed for any of the examined muscles. [Conclusion] The abdominal draw-in maneuver with tape measure-based feedback may be more effective at facilitating isolated transverse abdominal contractions in all the positions than that without feedback.