OBJECTIVE: Despite the ever ongoing development in the examination procedures, it is still impossible to exactly diagnose a large percentage of patients with vertebral and back (low-back and neck) pains. This is due to an insufficiently clear connection between symptoms, pathological changes and results from the imaging techniques. Besides a morphological and neurological examination, a grave diagnostic attention should be given to a possible muscular dysfunction. A simple electromechanical device called muscle dynamometer (MD01) has been constructed for the purpose of enabling to effortlessly, objectively and precisely examine the muscle power-output in the lumbar spine area and reveal a possible, often found and therapeutically treated, dysfunction of the deep stabilizing spine system (DSSS). METHODS: The six-week-rehabilitation-course, aimed at correcting the body posture and strengthening the DSSS muscles, during which two groups of healthy adolescents (girls and boys, aged 12-16) have been obtained. RESULTS: The statistically significant change (p<0.001) between the values of input and output measurements of the condition of DSSS. CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness of therapeutical training is confirmed and the objectification of the condition of the DSSS muscles by means of the muscle dynamometer (MD01) is verified.

University of Southern Bohemia Faculty of Pedagogy Department of Physical Education and Sport Ceské Budejovice Czech Republic

Impact of a Breathing Intervention on Engagement of Abdominal, Thoracic, and Subclavian Musculature during Exercise, a Randomized Trial