Effects of core stability and feedback music on upper body mediolateral movements during cycling

Abstract

Abstract Asymmetry in involuntary trunk motion may be related to core stability. If core stability properly controls postural stability during distal segment movements, trunk motion should be symmetric. Based on the assumption that head motion partially represents trunk motion, we developed a system that measures head angle and provides feedback music on head motion. If the head angle exceeds a predefined threshold, the music is muted in the earbud on the side of the head tilt. To investigate the relationship between core stability and asymmetric trunk motion, we measured mediolateral head angles during cycling using a self-developed system and compared them between individuals with good and poor core stability, and we investigated the effects of feedback music on mediolateral head motion during cycling. The poor-core-stability group showed significantly greater amplitude of, and less symmetry in, mediolateral head motion than the good-core-stability group. Furthermore, feedback music significantly reduced the amplitude of mediolateral head motion in the good- and poor-core-stability groups and improved symmetry in mediolateral head motion in the poor-core-stability group. Our findings imply that core stability is important for maintaining symmetry in head motion during cycling. Feedback music could be useful for establishing symmetry in head motion during cycling.