Influence of Load Carriage on Electromyographic Activities of Upper Fibers of Trapezius in School Students During Walking

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of load carriage on electromyographic activity (EMG) of upper fibers of trapezius (UFT) of both right (RT) and left (LT) side in school students during walking. Thirty school students were assigned into one group, with mean age 13.66±1.32 years. EMG was recorded from UFT [RT and (LT) side under three conditions: First, with no pack while performing reference isometric contraction of UFT, second while carrying ergonomic double sided pack, lastly, while carrying ordinary bag style. The EMG of UFT (RT)] (LT) while carrying ergonomic double sided pack was significantly less than while carrying ordinary pack with z-value –3.105 for RT UFT and –2.883 for LT UFT and p-value 0.05. It was concluded that the ergonomic double sided pack significantly decreased the EMG activity of UFT in comparison to ordinary backpack style.