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Review
. 2024 Apr 18;12(4):111.
doi: 10.3390/sports12040111.

Comparison of the Electromyography Activity during Exercises with Stable and Unstable Surfaces: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Gabriel de Amorim Batista  1 , Sol Patricia Beltrán  1 , Muana Hiandra Pereira Dos Passos  1 , Letícia Bojikian Calixtre  2 , Laís Regina de Holanda Santos  2 , Rodrigo Cappato de Araújo  2
Affiliations
Review

Comparison of the Electromyography Activity during Exercises with Stable and Unstable Surfaces: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Gabriel de Amorim Batista et al. Sports (Basel). .

Abstract

The effect of electromyographic (EMG) activity on agonist muscles during exercises performed on stable and unstable surfaces remains uncertain. We aimed to review the literature regarding the comparison of the EMG activity of the agonist muscles of exercises performed on stable and unstable surfaces. Eighty-six studies that evaluated the EMG activity of 1783 individuals during exercises for the lower limbs, upper limbs, and core were included. The EMG activities of the pectoralis major (SMD = 0.28 [95% CI 0.09, 0.47]) and triceps brachii muscles (SMD = 0.45 [95% CI 0.25, 0.66]) were significantly increased when the unstable device was added to the exercise. Likewise, the EMG activity of all core muscles showed a significant increase with the unstable surface during the exercises, such as the rectus abdominis (SMD = 0.51 [95% CI 0.37, 0.66]), external oblique (SMD = 0.44 [95% CI 0.28, 0.61]), internal oblique (SMD = 1.04 [95% CI 0.02, 2.07]), erector spinae (SMD = 0.37 [95% CI 0.04, 0.71]), and lumbar multifidus (SMD = 0.35 [95% CI 0.08, 0.61]). However, the lower limb muscles did not show greater EMG activity during the exercise with unstable surfaces compared to the stable surface. In conclusion, unstable conditions increase the EMG activity of some upper limb and core muscles compared to a stable surface.

Keywords: abdominal core; electromyography; lower extremity; resistance training; upper extremity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram showing the reference screening and study selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Assessment of methodological quality.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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