Evaluation of the abdominal transverse muscle in individuals with low back pain: a literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Low back pain is the leading cause of years lived with disability in the world. Despite the relevance of the subject in the literature, some authors have criticized and conducted studies without methodological criteria for the evaluation of the transverse abdominis muscle, creating a gap in knowledge and divergences in evidence-based practice. Objective: The aim of the study was to carry out a literature review, looking for studies that observed changes in the Transverse Abdominal muscle in individuals with low back pain. Methods: The following keywords were used as methodology: Low back Pain, Lumbago, Transverse Abdominal, Transversus Abdominis, Transverse Abdominals, In the following databases: Pubmed 137 studies, Web of Science 625 studies, Scopus 228 studies. Inclusion criteria: Studies that evaluated the Transverse Abdominal muscle in individuals with pain were selected for analysis of the results. Exclusion criteria: Studies that evaluated only healthy individuals, studies that addressed treatment or therapeutic intervention, studies conducted before 2016, duplications by authors, or those that did not use evaluation as methodology were excluded. Results: Finding a total of 990 studies, after elimination for duplication, 725 articles After being analyzed and selected by the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 18 studies were selected. Conclusion: The Transverse Abdominal muscle showed changes in its muscle thickness, neuromuscular activation, motor control, between healthy individuals and individuals with low back pain, being evaluated in different postures and populations. It is suggested that the evaluation of the transverse abdominal muscle should be performed in patients with low back pain, as an important dysfunctional diagnostic tool for these patients.