Experimental Group |
exercise training |
three Core stability exercise (CSE) 5 days/week over a period of 6 weeks
The participants were asked to perform 20 repetitions with 15 seconds, hold for each exercise. The whole exercise set was repeated twice with three minutes rest in between.29 |
5 days/week over a period of 6 weeks |
The prone plank; the subjects assumed a front-support position resting on the forearms with shoulders directly over their elbows and legs are straight out behind. Hips were lifted to a degree which makes the whole body from shoulders to ankles is leveled and supported only on forearms and toes. This position could be maintained through coactivation of both lower abdominal and back muscles. The side plank; the subjects lay on each side as they balance on their forearms with the shoulder is directly above the elbow and legs are straight. The pelvis was lifted so that the whole body was balanced on the forearm and feet. The body formed a straight line and the oblique muscles should be felt down the side of the trunk working to maintain the position. Superman plank; subjects laid on their stomach with arms are straight over the head. Both arms and legs were lifted off the ground and kept in this position for the holding period.
The experimental group performed the same CSE program of the control group while wearing Oculus rift DK2 as a mean for VR. The Oculus Rift is a lightweight headset, which is developed by Oculus VR (California, USA) to allow its user to feel like they are actually in a game and could look at any direction. The screen displays two images adjacent to each other, one for each eye. The combination of lenses is placed above the screen, enabling the zoom in-out and re-shaping the picture for both eyes, thereby creating stereoscopic 3D images. The image was adjusted according to the wearer’s head motions which were detected by the embedded sensors in the Rift devices.30 Two games were selected, one for each exercise set; No Limits 2 Roller Coaster and Euro Truck 2 simulations. In addition, of being enjoyable for most of the participants, both games require frequent head motions and quick direction changes which facilitate activation of the core muscles.
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Control Group |
Exercise Training |
The control group was instructed to perform three CSE 5 days/week over a period of 6 weeks under the supervision of a certified physical therapist in the Biomechanics laboratory. Barr et al.28 described the selected CSE as being the most commonly used in the previously conducted randomizes control trials. The participants were asked to perform 20 repetitions with 15 seconds, hold for each exercise. The whole exercise set was repeated twice with three minutes rest in between. |
three CSE 5 days/week over a period of 6 weeks |
The prone plank; the subjects assumed a front-support position resting on the forearms with shoulders directly over their elbows and legs are straight out behind. Hips were lifted to a degree which makes the whole body from shoulders to ankles is leveled and supported only on forearms and toes. This position could be maintained through coactivation of both lower abdominal and back muscles. The side plank; the subjects lay on each side as they balance on their forearms with the shoulder is directly above the elbow and legs are straight. The pelvis was lifted so that the whole body was balanced on the forearm and feet. The body formed a straight line and the oblique muscles should be felt down the side of the trunk working to maintain the position. Superman plank; subjects laid on their stomach with arms are straight over the head. Both arms and legs were lifted off the ground and kept in this position for the holding period. |
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Active-Treatment of Control Group |