EMG Activity of Transversus Abdominis, Multifidus and Co-Contraction Index in Different Phases Amongst Varied Level Archers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction. Core muscle activity is a necessary requirement in most sports. However, its role in archers has not been studied. Therefore, this study sought to determine muscle activity of Transversus abdominis (TA) and Multifidus (MF) and co-contraction index (CCI) using surface electromyography (s EMG) during different phases of shots in archers with different levels of training. Material and Methods. It was an observational study with a cross-sectional design. Twenty-eight healthy male archers were recruited and grouped according to their level of training: Group A (Beginners (n = 9)), Group B (Trained (n = 10)), Group C (Elite (n = 9)). The muscle activation (%MVIC) for MF and TA for 10 successive archery shots (distance: 10 meters in 200 seconds) was recorded using s EMG for all the phases of the shots along with CCI. Results. Three-way ANOVA revealed a significant difference for TA activity within groups (p ≤ 0.001) and phases (p = 0.002), A significant difference for MF activity was found within groups (p ≤ 0.001). A significant difference for CCI was found between groups (p ≤ 0.001) and in the interaction between phase × shot (p = 0.001). Conclusions. The findings of the study showed that elite archers had more activity of the core muscles (TA and MF) and their CCI was found to be much higher with respect to the trained and beginner archers. Therefore, it is essential to incorporate dynamic stabilization exercises into archery training.