Abstract
Objective: Conventional Nordic Hamstring Exercise (NHE) has shown left-right differences in hamstring muscle strength and may not be suitable for subjects with left-right differences. Therefore, we have performed NHE in which the subject reaches forward with one upper limb (reach-type NHE), but the amount of muscle activity in the lower limb is unknown.In the present study, we investigated the left-right differences in lower extremity muscle activity during reach-type NHE.
Methods: The subjects were 22 healthy adults (11 males, 11 females, age 29.5±5.8 years). The method was to measure the muscle activity of the left and right biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and medial head of gastrocnemius muscle during right and left reaching NHE by surface electromyography. The left and right muscle activity levels were then compared using the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results: In both right and left reaching NHE, the muscle activity of the semimembranosus, biceps femoris, and medial head of gastrocnemius on the reaching side was significantly higher than that on the non-reaching side (p＜0.01).
Conclusion: Reach-type NHE is a method that improves on the challenges of conventional NHE and unilateral NHE.
