Abiara Sophia, Heinrichs Vivian, Chorneyko Annaka, Lang Angelica E
Canadian Centre for Rural and Agricultural Health, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Department of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
PeerJ. 2025 Aug 6;13:e19861. doi: 10.7717/peerj.19861. eCollection 2025.
Shoulder musculoskeletal disorders are associated with atypical kinematics and muscle activity. Exercises to activate weakened muscles may reduce pain and disability. The objectives of this study were to test the effectiveness of exercises for activating the lower trapezius and to compare changes in shoulder muscle activity during functional tasks before and after the exercises in symptomatic and asymptomatic groups.
Eighteen adults, nine with subacromial pain syndrome and nine asymptomatic controls, participated in this study. A within-session repeated measures case-control design was employed. Participants performed overhead functional tasks before and after completing lower trapezius activation exercises. Electromyography (EMG) data of scapular muscles were captured during the tasks and exercises. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) compared muscle activations during the exercises. Paired t-test statistical parametric mapping assessed changes in muscle activity after the exercises.
Lower trapezius activation was highest during the Trapezius Muscle Exercise for both groups. Post-exercise, a transient increase in lower trapezius activation was observed in the pain group during the Comb Hair task ( = 0.0012, = 1.55) and the no pain group in the Overhead Reach task ( < 0.001, = 1.38) , but this effect did not persist in either group.
The exercise protocol successfully increased lower trapezius activation immediately post-exercise, but the effects were short-lived. The findings suggest that while lower trapezius activation exercises can temporarily alter muscle activation, their efficacy for acute prevention or rehabilitation is limited. Further research is needed to explore the effects of longitudinal training programs on functional task performance.
肩部肌肉骨骼疾病与非典型运动学和肌肉活动有关。激活弱化肌肉的锻炼可能会减轻疼痛和功能障碍。本研究的目的是测试激活下斜方肌锻炼的有效性，并比较有症状组和无症状组在锻炼前后功能任务期间肩部肌肉活动的变化。
18名成年人参与了本研究，其中9人患有肩峰下疼痛综合征，9人为无症状对照者。采用组内重复测量病例对照设计。参与者在完成下斜方肌激活锻炼前后进行过头功能任务。在任务和锻炼过程中采集肩胛肌的肌电图（EMG）数据。单因素方差分析（ANOVA）比较锻炼期间的肌肉激活情况。配对t检验统计参数映射评估锻炼后肌肉活动的变化。
两组在下斜方肌锻炼期间下斜方肌的激活程度最高。锻炼后，疼痛组在梳理头发任务期间观察到下斜方肌激活短暂增加（P = 0.0012，效应量 = 1.55），无疼痛组在过头伸展任务期间观察到下斜方肌激活短暂增加（P < 0.001，效应量 = 1.38），但两组这种效应均未持续。
锻炼方案在锻炼后立即成功增加了下斜方肌的激活，但效果是短暂的。研究结果表明，虽然下斜方肌激活锻炼可以暂时改变肌肉激活，但它们对急性预防或康复的疗效有限。需要进一步研究以探索长期训练计划对功能任务表现的影响。
