Ohlsson Marie Lund, Nilsson Marcus, Swarén Mikael
Department of Health Sciences, Swedish Winter Sports Research Centre, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden.
Department of Physiology, Nutrition and Biomechanics, The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden.
Front Sports Act Living. 2025 Feb 18;7:1438386. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1438386. eCollection 2025.
This study aimed to investigate how pole length, incline, and skiing intensity affect lower back muscle activation in elite cross-country skiers. This addressing a critical gap in understanding the biomechanical demands and risk of low back pain of double poling (DP).
Eleven elite cross-country skiers performed skiing trials on a treadmill, varying in incline (flat vs. 6°), intensity (two self-selected speeds, training speed and racing speed), and pole lengths. Muscle activity was measured by surface electromyography on the erector spinae thoracic and lumbar muscles, on the left and right side. A motion capture system was used for kinematic analysis of the lower back-pole moment arm and the hip angle during the DP cycle.
Compared to men, female skiers had a significantly higher ( < 0.001), overall muscle activation for the m. erector spinae lumbar on both the left and right side (26% of MVC vs. 15% of MVC, and 28% of MVC vs. 22% of MVC, for the left and right side, respectively). No correlations were found, neither between muscle activation to the lower back-pole moment arm, or to the hip angle.
The findings suggest that female skiers experience significantly higher lumbar erector spinae activation during DP, potentially indicating greater susceptibility to back-related issues. The results also highlight the need to tailor training and right adapted equipment to mitigate lower back stress, especially in flat terrain high-intensity conditions. The asymmetrical muscle activity and gender differences underscores the need for further investigation into biomechanical factors influencing back muscle engagement in cross-country skiing.
本研究旨在探讨撑杆长度、坡度和滑雪强度如何影响优秀越野滑雪运动员的下背部肌肉激活情况。这填补了在理解双杖滑雪（DP）的生物力学需求和下背痛风险方面的关键空白。
11名优秀越野滑雪运动员在跑步机上进行滑雪试验，坡度（平地与6°）、强度（两种自选速度、训练速度和比赛速度）和撑杆长度各不相同。通过表面肌电图测量竖脊肌胸段和腰段左右两侧的肌肉活动。使用运动捕捉系统对双杖滑雪周期中下背部-撑杆力臂和髋关节角度进行运动学分析。
与男性相比，女性滑雪运动员竖脊肌腰段左右两侧的总体肌肉激活水平显著更高（<0.001）（左侧分别为最大自主收缩的26%和15%，右侧分别为最大自主收缩的28%和22%）。未发现肌肉激活与下背部-撑杆力臂或髋关节角度之间存在相关性。
研究结果表明，女性滑雪运动员在双杖滑雪过程中竖脊肌腰段的激活水平显著更高，这可能表明她们更容易出现与背部相关的问题。研究结果还强调了需要定制训练和合适的装备以减轻下背部压力，尤其是在平地高强度条件下。肌肉活动的不对称性和性别差异凸显了进一步研究影响越野滑雪中背部肌肉参与的生物力学因素的必要性。
