ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2016
Changes in multifidus and abdominal muscle size in response to microgravity: possible implications for low back pain research.
Article in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.
- Optimizing healthcare in space: the role of ultrasound imaging in medical conditions.Journal of ultrasound · 2024Pooled it
- The effect of spaceflight on tissues of the spinal column.Bone reports · 2026Review
- Spaceflight human optimization and performance: positioning astronauts in an operational framework to promote health, fitness, and mission readiness.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Review
- Space Physiology and Technology: Adaptations, Countermeasures, and Opportunities for Wearable Systems.Cyborg and bionic systems (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Review
- Detrimental Effects of Space Flight on the Lumbar Spine May Be Correlated to Baseline Degeneration: Insights From an Advanced MR Imaging Study.Journal of pain research · 2025Article
- Low Back Pain During and After Spaceflight: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2024Review
- Reliability of panoramic ultrasound imaging and agreement with magnetic resonance imaging for the assessment of lumbar multifidus anatomical cross-sectional area.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Pain Experience and Sensory Changes in Astronauts During and After Short-Lasting Commercial Spaceflight: A Proof-of-Concept Study.Journal of pain research · 2023Article
- Protocol and reference values for minimal detectable change of MyotonPRO and ultrasound imaging measurements of muscle and subcutaneous tissue.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Change in Lumbar Muscle Size and Composition on MRI with Long-Duration Spaceflight.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2022Article
- Comparison of trunk muscle exercises in supine position during short arm centrifugation with 1 g at centre of mass and upright in 1 g.Frontiers in physiology · 2022Article
- The effects of spaceflight microgravity on the musculoskeletal system of humans and animals, with an emphasis on exercise as a countermeasure: a systematic scoping review.Physiological research · 2021Article
- Mapping of Back Muscle Stiffness along Spine during Standing and Lying in Young Adults: A Pilot Study on Spinal Stiffness Quantification with Ultrasound Imaging.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- CORE STABILITY MUSCLE ACTIVITY DURING STANDING LOWER BODY TWISTING EXERCISES.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2020Article
- Evaluation of the Lower Trapezius Muscle Using Ultrasound Panoramic View (a Novel Approach): An Intra- and Inter-Rater Reliability Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Inconsistent descriptions of lumbar multifidus morphology: A scoping review.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2020Article
- Imaging with ultrasound in physical therapy: What is the PT's scope of practice? A competency-based educational model and training recommendations.British journal of sports medicine · 2019Article
- State-of-the-Art Exercise Concepts for Lumbopelvic and Spinal Muscles - Transferability to Microgravity.Frontiers in physiology · 2019Review
- Lumbopelvic Muscle Changes Following Long-Duration Spaceflight.Frontiers in physiology · 2019Article
- Non-structural misalignments of body posture in the sagittal plane.Scoliosis and spinal disorders · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeIn microgravity, muscle atrophy occurs in the intrinsic muscles of the spine, with changes also observed in the abdominal muscles. Exercises are undertaken on the International Space Station and on Earth following space flight to remediate these effects. Similar effects have been seen on Earth in prolonged bed rest studies and in people with low back pain (LBP). The aim of this case report was to examine the effects of microgravity, exercise in microgravity and post-flight rehabilitation on the size of the multifidus and antero-lateral abdominal muscles.
methodsUltrasound imaging was used to assess size of the multifidus, transversus abdominis and internal oblique muscles at four time points: pre-flight and after daily rehabilitation on day one (R + 1), day 8 (R + 8) and day 14 (R + 14) after return to Earth (following 6 months in microgravity).
resultsExercises in microgravity maintained multifidus size at L2-L4, however, after spaceflight, size of the multifidus muscle at L5 was reduced, size of the internal oblique muscle was increased and size of transversus abdominis was reduced. Rehabilitation post-space flight resulted in hypertrophy of the multifidus muscle to pre-mission size at the L5 vertebral level and restoration of antero-lateral abdominal muscle size.
conclusionsExercise in space can prevent loss of spinal intrinsic muscle size. For the multifidus muscles, effectiveness varied at different levels of the spine. Post-mission rehabilitation targeting specific motor control restored muscle balance between the antero-lateral abdominal and multifidus muscles, similar to results from intervention trials for people with LBP. A limitation of the current investigation is that only one astronaut was studied, however, the microgravity model could be valuable as predictable effects on trunk muscles can be induced and interventions evaluated. Level of Evidence Case series.
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