SynthesisPeerJ2025
Effects of unstable training on muscle activation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of electromyographic studies.
Synthesis in PeerJ, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effects of core training on physical performance in team-sport athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of balance training in children with developmental disorders.PeerJ · 2026Pooled it
- Unstable trunk core strength training improves shooting performance and holding stability in elite 10 m air pistol athletes: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Dynamic proprioceptive training improves functional recovery in sprinters with patellofemoral pain: A randomized trial.PloS one · 2026Trial
- Instability resistance training in collegiate basketball: a multitheoretical experimental study.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- The effects of 8 weeks of functional strength training and blood flow restriction training on lower limb muscle strength, maximal power, and movement quality in male sprinter college athletes.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: To systematically evaluate the effects of unstable training (UT) on muscle activation and provide activation prescriptions for different muscle regions, offering more targeted guidance for different populations in muscle activation. Methods: Data extraction and meta-analysis were conducted using RevManager 5.3, Stata 16.0, and R software. Subgroup analyses were performed on five variables: exercise equipment, exercise intensity, exercise mode, exercise experience, and contraction mode. Heterogeneity and publication bias were also examined. Results: A total of 28 studies were included, involving 579 participants. Comparison of activation effects between unstable training and stable training: Significant increases in core muscle activation, including rectus abdominis (SMD = 0.32, 95% CI [0.18-0.46], Conclusion: Unstable training is an excellent choice for rehabilitation after sports injuries, pre-exercise activation, and enhancing specific sports abilities. It can significantly activate core, upper limb, and lower limb muscles. In the future, more rigorous research should be carried out, providing a larger sample size and more meticulous evaluation methods for further comparative analysis.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.