Lumbar paraspinal compartment pressure in back muscle exercise.

A paraspinal compartment pressure measurement was taken in 20 volunteers (a) to establish the normal compartment pressure in a series of body postures at rest and (b) to determine the difference in paraspinal compartment pressure during weight-lifting (40 pounds) exercise between straight back lifting and straight knee lifting. The measurement at rest showed a significant elevation of pressure in the sitting position compared with lying, standing, and bending positions. No significant difference in pressure was found between the two kinds of lifting exercises.