Background: Military personnel routinely perform physically demanding activities while carrying heavy loads, requiring strength, stability and control for optimal performance (Hauschuld et al., 2017). Torso-borne loads place strain on the body, with the back the leading site of load carriage-related injury (Orr et al., 2015). Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) supports postural control and spinal stabilisation (Stokes et al., 2011). Therefore, training modalities targeting IAP during physically demanding tasks, such as traditional martial arts, may reduce risk factors for load carriage-related back pain and injury through increased trunk stiffness and spinal stability. We developed a novel 12-week “Neuropotency Training” program incorporating martial arts-based breath control and multimodal biofeedback to enhance IAP during physically demanding tasks (Walters et al., under review) and examined the effects of this training on spinal compression during standing heavy load carriage.
Aim: To evaluate the effects of a novel martial arts-based program incorporating breath-control and multimodal biofeedback on lumbar spinal compression during standing heavy load carriage.
Method: Twenty-three healthy adults (age: 32±8 years) were quasi-randomly assigned to one of three groups: Neuropotency Training (n=8), Traditional Training (n=7), and Control (n=8). Both training groups completed 12 weeks of martial arts-based training, with the Neuropotency group receiving additional breath-control instruction and biofeedback, while Controls maintained regular activities. Lumbar spinal compression was assessed via ultrasound pre- and post-intervention, quantified by inter-transverse process distance reduction. After 30 min of supine rest for baseline intervertebral equilibration, lumbar transverse processes were imaged via ultrasound on standing (Baseline), and after 5, 10, and 15 min while wearing a 25 kg weighted vest. Images were subsequently analysed and the distances between the tips of the transverse processes were measured. Spinal compression was compared using a two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post-hoc tests (significance: P ≤ 0.05). The study was approved by the University of Southern Queensland Human Research Ethics Committee (ETH2022-0003).
Results: Neuropotency Training resulted in reduced total lumbar spinal compression after 5 min of loaded standing compared to the Traditional (P = 0.03, d = 2.04) and Control (P = 0.04, d =1.71) groups. No pairwise differences were observed between groups after 10 and 15 minutes of loaded standing.
Conclusions: Neuropotency Training attenuates spinal compressive loading, likely through enhanced IAP regulation and neuromuscular coordination. These results suggest that spinal function and load tolerance can be improved through targeted physiological conditioning, rather than through traditional strength-only models. These adaptations are directly relevant to combat and occupational tasks involving load carriage. Given the ADF’s growing emphasis on reducing musculoskeletal injury risk and enhancing physical resilience, Neuropotency Training offers a viable, scalable intervention for modern force preparation.
Implications for Defence: In line with ADF’s strategy to improve operational readiness and reduce injury-driven attrition, this study demonstrates that incorporating martial arts-based breath-control and biofeedback training into Defence physical readiness programs could mitigate spinal compression, a major contributor to back injuries. By targeting physiological mechanisms underpinning spinal support, this approach may improve the long-term functional capacity of personnel, contributing to a more resilient and sustainable force.

References: Hauschild et al. (2017). Occup Environ Med. 74(2), 144–153; Orr et al. (2015). J Occup Rehabil. 25(2), 316-322; Stokes et al. (2010). Clin Biomech. 25(9), 859-866; Walters et al. (under review). Subsequently published - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resp.2026.104635