Scapulothoracic muscle activity during use of a wall slide device (WSD), a comparison with the general wall push up plus

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the wall slide device on activation of the scapulothoracic musculature. [Subjects] We recruited 15 healthy male subjects. [Methods] The subjects performed the general wall push-up plus (WPUP) and the wall slide with device (WSD) exercises. During the exercises, the muscle activities of the upper and lower trapezius (UT, LT), middle and lower serratus anterior (MSA, LSA), and pectoralis major (PM) were measured. [Results] The normalized muscle activity data of the WSD were significantly higher in UT, MSA and LSA than the WPUP. [Conclusion] Our results suggest that exercise using the WSD can more effectively activate the scapulothoracic musculature than the general WPUP. © 2014 The Society of Physical Therapy Science.