Correlations between muscle regions and average total muscle activity: support for the back.

As part of their evaluation, an EMG muscle scanning procedure was conducted on 100 patients enrolled in a pain program for in-patients. The left and right aspects of 11 muscle sites were monitored in the sitting and standing postures. Correlations between muscle region and average total muscle tension suggest that the lower and upper back muscles were the most highly related to their total tension. These results do not appear to be the results of statistical artifact and the correlations do not seem redundant. Further analyses identified the T10 paraspinals muscle site as most highly correlated with their total tension. These findings are preliminary and experiments are needed to confirm or repudiate the hypothesis that there is a key muscle. Investigators are encouraged to look to the back musculature for training generalized relaxation.