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Citation

Seo D, Kim T, Kim S & Yun J (2025) Evaluation of core muscle activation during bridge exercises on stable and unstable surfaces at various knee angles. the 30th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science, Rimini (Italy, IT), 01.07.2025-04.07.2025.

Abstract
Introduction Bridge exercises have commonly been employed as a core exercise method to improve core stability and strength. Additionally, instability training is an effective method to prevent low back pain (LBP). However, there is a lack of scientific evidence to suggest proper knee angles and the effect of bridge exercises on unstable surface training. Therefore, this study aimed to compare core activity between three knee angles (60°, 90°, and 120°) and surface conditions (stable and unstable) during the bridge exercise. Methods The study recruited ten participants between 20 and 30 years of age with no musculoskeletal injuries. Surface EMG was used to record core muscle activity on the experiment date for each participant. The test was divided into two sections using surface EMG: measuring Maximum Voluntary Isometric Contraction (MVIC) for each muscle and recording core muscle activity during the bridge exercise. During the experiment, the participants randomly performed bridge exercises at three knee angles, with and without BOSU. Results The results of the study regarding the EMG of the bridge exercise on both stable and unstable surfaces at different knee angles showed that the biceps femoris and erector spinae activity significantly increased on the unstable surface with a knee angle of 120° by repeated one-way ANOVA (p < 0.05). In addition, comparing muscle activity between stable and unstable surfaces using a paired t-test revealed that biceps femoris and external oblique muscle activity significantly increased during the bridge exercise (p < 0.05). The results of this study showed that bridge exercise with a knee angle of 120° and exercise on an unstable surface are efficient methods for increasing muscle activity in the biceps femoris, erector spinae, and external oblique muscles. Discussion and Conclusion Changes in the knee angle and surface would lead to increases in core muscle activity. The results of this study showed that bridge exercise is not a high muscle activation exercise in abdominal muscles (rectus abdominal, rectus femoris and external oblique) compared to back muscle (erector spinae, gluteus maximus and biceps femoris muscles); it may be used to tailor core stability exercise training for establishing better co-contraction between abdominal muscle and back muscle groups during the rehabilitation of low back pain. The commonly prescribed rehabilitation practice involves low-intensity training and focuses on the recovery and strengthening of core muscles so that they can return to normal strength and stability. This would also involve patients re-learning the effective use of their core muscles. Therefore, the present study suggests that knee angle and surface type should be considered when using bridge exercises to improve core muscle stability and strength after taking into account the condition of the subject, their history of back pain, and rehabilitation.