Relationship between the bilateral ratios of the thoracic shape and electromyographic activity of the thoracic and lumbar iliocostalis muscles during thoracic lateral translation

[Purpose] This study aimed to determine the relationship between thoracic lateral deviation, the bilateral ratio of the thoracic shape, and the bilateral ratio of the thoracic and lumbar iliocostalis muscles during resting sitting and thoracic lateral translation. [Participants and Methods] We included 23 healthy adult males in the study. The measurement tasks were resting sitting and thoracic lateral translation relative to the pelvis. The thoracic lateral deviation and bilateral ratio of the upper and lower thoracic shapes were measured using three-dimensional motion capture. The bilateral ratio of the thoracic and lumbar iliocostalis muscles were measured using the surface electromyographic recording. [Results] The bilateral ratio of the lower thoracic shape was significantly positively correlated with the thoracic translation distance and the bilateral ratio of the thoracic and iliocostalis muscles. In addition, the bilateral ratio of the thoracic iliocostalis muscles was significantly negatively correlated with the bilateral ratios of the lower thoracic shape and lumbar iliocostalis muscles. [Conclusion] Our findings showed that the asymmetry of the lower thoracic shape is associated with left lateral deviation of the thorax at rest and thoracic translation distance. In addition, the thoracic and lumbar iliocostalis muscle activity differed between the left and right translations.