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TRX Spine stabilization for Chiropractic Patients

bridge exercise for back pain

As a chiropractor, I treat many people with lower back pain. This pain often comes from repetitive strain, poor movement habits, muscle imbalances (such as tightness or weakness), or stiff joints. In some cases, it’s caused by poor spine stabilization — when the muscles meant to stabilize the spine aren’t working effectively. Recently, I came across an interesting study that explored exercises to strengthen the spine in cases of instability, and I wanted to share it with you.

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One key muscle involved in spinal stability is the transverse abdominis. Another important muscle group is the multifidii. When these muscles don’t function properly, they’re often linked to lower back pain. Exercises that help activate these muscles correctly could provide relief and improve stability.

The Research

The study, Differences in Transverse Abdominis Activation with Stable and Unstable Bridging Exercises in Individuals with Low Back Pain, examined various bridge exercises to see which best activated the transverse abdominis. Researchers tested:

  • Traditional bridges for spine stabilization, including:
    • Two-leg bridge
    • One-leg bridge
    • Bridge with shoulders on an unstable surface
    • One-leg bridge with the free leg moving outward
  • Suspended bridges, where feet were placed in suspension straps (like TRX), performed without the abdominal “drawing in” maneuver.

They used rehabilitative ultrasound imaging to measure transverse abdominis activity in 51 people with lower back pain.

Findings:

  • Both traditional and suspended bridges activated the transverse abdominis well, but suspended bridges had slightly higher muscle engagement overall.
  • The most effective exercise was the suspended bridge with legs abducting (moving outward), which showed significantly higher activation than its traditional counterpart.

How to Perform the Exercise

Here’s how you can try the exercise that showed the best results:

  1. Lie on your back and place your feet in suspension straps or rings.
  2. Lift your hips off the floor until your thighs are in line with your torso.
  3. Open your legs outward (abduct) while keeping your hips lifted.
  4. Hold for about 10 seconds, then lower back down.

Tips:

  • Breathe from your belly during the exercise.
  • Stop if you feel pain—this should be a pain-free movement.

Takeaways

This study highlighted some key points:

  • Suspended bridges tend to activate the transverse abdominis slightly better than traditional versions, especially with leg movements like abduction.
  • The abdominal “drawing in” maneuver may not always be necessary, as suspended exercises can be effective without it.
  • It would be interesting to see more research exploring how these exercises impact back pain over time and whether combining suspension with abdominal drawing in could enhance results.

That’s it for now! If you have any questions or want more tips for back pain, feel free to reach out.

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Originally posted on May 17, 2022 @ 4:40 pm