Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology最新文献

{"title":"What are my muscles up to? The contribution of surface electromyography to clinical decision-making","authors":"Catherine Disselhorst-Klug","doi":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2025.102988","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2025.102988","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Muscles move the body. The varying levels of movement precision needed daily results from a complex interplay within the central nervous system, muscles and sensory feedback, referred to as neuromechanics. This neuromechanical interplay is often impaired in pathology. Although, diagnosis and therapy would benefit from information about the patient’s specific neuromechanical control, no procedures have yet been established in clinical practice that allow this information to be fully recorded. Surface electromyography (sEMG) links neuronal input and muscle function and helps to understand how the CNS orchestrates the multitude of possibilities the neuromusculoskeletal system has at its disposal to solve a movement task. This 2024 Basmajian-Lecture-Paper will highlight sEMG applications in physiological and pathological conditions, to illustrate the potential contribution of sEMG to clinical decision-making. Focussing first on infants’ motor development, it will contribute to the discussion on how neuromechanics and motor skills develop. Continuing with considerations on motor unit activation in health and disease and describing the difference between physiological and pathological muscle coordination in dynamic conditions, it aims to address the possibilities but also the limitations of sEMG in clinical applications. Finally, the influence of robotic support on neuromechanical control and thus on re-learning of motor skills are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology","volume":"81 ","pages":"Article 102988"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143349567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Electrical cutaneous stimulation of the foot sole does not enhance rate of torque development during maximal effort isometric plantarflexion in females","authors":"Laura C. Marrelli ,&nbsp;Tushar Sharma ,&nbsp;Davis A. Forman ,&nbsp;Giacomo G. Passarelli ,&nbsp;Chioma Nwebube ,&nbsp;Avery Hinks ,&nbsp;Geoffrey A. Power ,&nbsp;Leah R. Bent","doi":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102974","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102974","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rate of torque development (RTD) measures how rapidly one can generate torque and is crucial for balance and athletic performance. Fast RTD depends on the rapid recruitment of high threshold motor units (MUs). Cutaneous electrical stimulation has been shown to alter MU excitability, favoring high threshold MUs via reduced recruitment thresholds. A strong coupling exists between foot sole cutaneous mechanoreceptors and motor neurons of lower-limb muscles, yet it remains unknown if cutaneous input can impact RTD via modulation of MU excitability. This study aimed to investigate whether electrical stimulation across the heel could alter plantarflexion RTD. 11 young and healthy females underwent eight sets of five explosive isometric plantarflexion contractions on a dynamometer while sitting with hip, knee and ankle angles of 80°, 110°, and 90°, respectively. All participants achieved &gt; 95 % voluntary activation of their plantar flexors. Four sets of contractions were performed with heel cutaneous electrical stimulation (1.0 ms pulses delivered at 300 Hz, at 2 × perceptual threshold) and four sets with no stimulation. Instantaneous RTD values were analyzed in 25 ms epochs from onset to 250 ms. No significant differences were observed between stimulation conditions within each epoch, thus our results suggest that electrical cutaneous stimulation does not alter RTD in this population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102974"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142973468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strength and endurance of the lumbar extensor muscles and their predictors: A cross-sectional study in healthy subjects","authors":"Daniela Vlazna ,&nbsp;Blanka Adamova ,&nbsp;Peter Krkoska ,&nbsp;Viktoria Kokosova ,&nbsp;Katerina Matulova ,&nbsp;Tamara Barusova ,&nbsp;Michaela Sladeckova","doi":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102973","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102973","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to present the values of maximal isometric lumbar extensor muscle strength (MILEMS) and lumbar extensor muscle endurance (LEME) in healthy subjects and to study the influence of physiological factors on these parameters. MILEMS using a hand-held dynamometer in three positions (prone, sitting, standing) and LEME using the Biering-Sørensen test were assessed in 115 healthy volunteers. The MILEMS measurements for the specific positions were correlated with each other (Pearson correlation coefficients 0.31–0.87, p &lt; 0.001). In univariable linear regression, sex showed the highest effect on MILEMS prediction in sitting position (higher strength in men, P &lt; 0.001, R² of 20.4 %). Multivariable linear regression led to construction of a calculator to estimate predicted MILEMS in the sitting position in relation to sex, age and BMI with R² of 32.2 %. LEME was mostly predicted by BMI (decrease of LEME with increasing BMI, P &lt; 0.001), but multivariable regression analysis did not allow the construction of a reliable calculator to predict this parameter. In conclusion, we provided values for MILEMS and LEME. A calculator was developed to predict MILEMS and to determine the percentile of measured MILEMS in an individual. It is expected to be particularly useful in assessing patients who are likely to have lumbar extensor muscle impairment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102973"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143017131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Measurement of voluntary activation of abdominal flexors using transcranial magnetic stimulation","authors":"Olivia Szepietowski ,&nbsp;Hanne Ertman ,&nbsp;Shin-Yi Chiou ,&nbsp;Paul H. Strutton","doi":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102961","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102961","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been used to assess voluntary activation (VA) of limb and back muscles, however its ability to assess abdominal muscle VA is unknown. The assessment of abdominal muscle VA using TMS could be applied to patients with trunk dysfunction to enable further understanding of the neurophysiology of trunk control, inform practice and enable the development and monitoring of rehabilitation programmes.</div></div><div><h3>Aim</h3><div>The aim of this study was to investigate use of TMS and the twitch interpolation technique to measure voluntary activation of abdominal muscles.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Twenty healthy participants performed sets of isometric abdominal contractions of varying levels, during which TMS was applied to the primary motor cortex. The evoked twitches were measured as torque, while simultaneous surface electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded bilaterally from rectus abdominis, erector spinae, tensor fasciae latae, and rectus femoris. VA was calculated as: (1 – superimposed twitch amplitude/estimated resting twitch amplitude) x 100. Estimated resting twitch amplitude was calculated by extrapolation using linear regression of superimposed twitch amplitude against torque for contraction strengths 50–100 % maximum voluntary contraction (MVC).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>There was a strong linear relationship between voluntary torque of 50–100 % MVC and TMS-evoked twitch amplitude (<em>r</em>² = 0.994, p = 0.035), and voluntary torque between 50–100 % MVC and VA (<em>r</em>² = 0.997, p = 0.025). VA at a target torque of 100 % MVC was less than 100 % (86.20 ± 2.29 %).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>VA of abdominal muscles can be assessed with twitch interpolation using TMS. VA has been shown to be submaximal during maximum voluntary contractions, and it has been demonstrated that superimposed twitch amplitude decreases in a linear fashion with increasing contraction intensity. Using this technique to explore trunk muscle function could help to improve understanding of the neurophysiology of trunk control, including the sites on any deficit in drive and also improve monitoring of the efficacy of treatment regimes for clinical conditions associated with dysfunctions in trunk control e.g. low back pain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102961"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142787805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Flexor hallucis longus and tibialis anterior: A synergistic relationship","authors":"Jacob Fanous ,&nbsp;Charles L. Rice","doi":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102966","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102966","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Flexor hallucis longus (FHL) is an important muscle of the foot and ankle during locomotion, contributing to hallux and plantar flexion. For optimal hallux flexion the ankle needs to be stabilized against plantar flexion which may require action of the dorsiflexors. Due to the deep location of the FHL contractile drive assessed by electromyography (EMG) has not been explored systematically. Thus, the purpose was to test the relationship between the FHL and tibialis anterior (TA), the main dorsiflexor. Using indwelling EMG during isometric maximal voluntary contractions (MVC) of hallux and ankle joint actions, 10 participants (3-females, 7-males) aged 23 ± 1.4 years were tested in custom hallux-flexion and ankle dynamometers, with bipolar wire electrodes recording from the FHL, soleus and TA muscles. During MVC, forces were 169.2 ± 28.5 N, 285.5 ± 65.4 N, and 712.3 ± 313.8 N for hallux flexion, dorsiflexion, and plantar flexion, respectively. During maximal hallux flexion, TA EMG was 53 % (±26.5) of its maximum with negligible soleus activity, 4.7 % (±3.1). No significant correlations were found between TA activity and strength, foot characteristics, sex, height, weight, or soleus activity. This higher level of relative EMG recorded from the TA during maximal hallux flexion has not been observed in prior studies during walking and indicates that the relationship between the FHL and TA is task dependent, thus highlighting the important synergistic role of the TA in allowing optimal toe flexion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102966"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142840359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reliability of reflex measurements and perceived instability following cutaneous stimulation during gait","authors":"Annalee M.H. Friedman ,&nbsp;Leif P. Madsen","doi":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102958","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102958","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) exhibit a variety of sensorimotor deficits which contribute to long-term health risks and lower overall health-related quality of life. Recent literature finds abnormal cutaneous reflex characteristics and perceptions of instability during gait among those with CAI. These may serve as important patient-specific outcome measures in diagnosing and monitoring the condition, however, the test–retest reliability of these measurements is still undetermined. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess reliability of cutaneous reflex amplitudes and variability and perceived instability following perturbation in those with CAI and healthy controls during gait. Subjects walked on a treadmill while receiving random, non-noxious sural nerve stimulations throughout the stance phases of gait. Muscle activity was measured via electromyography for the peroneus longus, and medial and lateral gastrocnemius. Subjects reported their perceived instability following each stimulation. Cutaneous reflex amplitudes and perceived instability throughout the stance phases of gait can be reliably measured within the same day and over a 1-week period while reflex variability may be a less reliable measure. Our findings support the use of these variables as clinical outcome measures to identify and monitor neuromuscular recovery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102958"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142808767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Episiotomy and innervation zones of the external anal Sphincter: A case series investigating the impact on neurological patterns","authors":"Kristina Drusany Starič ,&nbsp;Gregor Norčič ,&nbsp;Giorgia Campo ,&nbsp;Rosario Emanuele Carlo Distefano","doi":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102970","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102970","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To investigate the impact of mediolateral episiotomy on the innervation zones of the External Anal Sphincter (EAS) in the absence and presence of direct muscular injury.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This case series examined four primiparous women, including three who underwent vaginal deliveries with mediolateral episiotomy and one cesarean section case for reference. Pre- and post-delivery assessments utilized surface electromyography (sEMG) and endoanal ultrasound to evaluate changes in the EAS’s innervation zones and obstetrical EAS injuries, alongside the Wexner score for fecal incontinence.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Mediolateral episiotomy can alter the innervation pattern of the EAS, with a significant reduction in innervation zones observed in the episiotomy cases compared to the reference cesarean section case. This alteration was evident even in the absence of visible EAS injury, suggesting episiotomy’s potential to disrupt EAS functionality. Notably, the Wexner score indicated varying degrees of fecal incontinence among the episiotomy cases.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Mediolateral episiotomy may impact the EAS’s innervation pattern, highlighting the importance of considering individual innervation zones in episiotomy planning. While the integration of sEMG into routine clinical practice is still evolving, this study underscores its potential as an additional tool for assessing neural integrity, particularly in cases of anal sphincter injury and reconstruction. Future research should explore the dynamics of re-innervation and the correlation between vascular injury and reduced innervation zones to enhance patient-specific care in pelvic floor dysfunction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102970"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142883727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The unprecedented progresses in neuromechanics over the past 50 years – In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the international society of biomechanics","authors":"Daniel Hahn,&nbsp;Catherine Disselhorst-Klug,&nbsp;Deborah Falla,&nbsp;Dario Farina","doi":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102963","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102963","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":56123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102963"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142792471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A U-Net based partial convolutional time-domain separation model to identify motor units from surface electromyographic signals in real time","authors":"Ziwei Cui,&nbsp;Chuang Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102971","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102971","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study proposed a U-Net based partial convolutional time-domain model for a real-time high-density surface electromyography (HD-sEMG) decomposition. The model combines U-Net and a separation block containing partial convolution, aiming to efficiently identify motor units (MUs) without preprocessing. The proposed U-Net based network was trained by the HD-sEMG signals with innervation pulse trains (IPTs) labels, and the results are compared between different step sizes, noises, and model structures under the sliding time window with 120 sampling points. The U-Net based model got an accuracy greater than 94 % under simulated signals and 85 % under experimental signals, and identified more MUs than the structures based on convolutional neural network (CNN) and temporal convolutional network (TCN). The average latency of the U-Net based model is only 64 ms (a window duration time plus the prediction time) under the step size 20 data in both types of signals, and can be generalized to new data at different signal-to-noise (SNR). The efficiency of the proposed model is significantly higher than traditional methods such as gCKC. Meanwhile, the accuracy of the proposed model was not significantly different from the gCKC. In addition, the performance of the network under different step sizes of the sliding time window was verified. The experimental results indicate that the U-Net based model provides an efficient framework for blind source separation (BSS) of EMG signals, expanding the application of EMG signals in neural interaction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102971"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142900923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Person-specific characteristics of people with low back pain moderate the movement pattern within motor skill training and strength and flexibility exercise: Secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial","authors":"Quenten L. Hooker ,&nbsp;Vanessa M. Lanier ,&nbsp;Linda R. van Dillen","doi":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102960","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102960","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>People with low back pain (LBP) display an altered movement pattern during functional activities. Exercise-based treatments improve the altered pattern, but there is individual variability in the response to treatment. This study investigates the moderating effect of person-specific characteristics on a movement pattern at baseline and change over time in the pattern in people with chronic LBP who received motor skill training (MST) or strength and flexibility exercise (SFE). Kinematic data were collected at baseline, immediately post-treatment, and 6 months post-treatment. Lumbar contribution (LC) to total movement was used to quantify the magnitude of the altered movement pattern. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to explore the moderating effects of treatment group, age, sex, duration of LBP, and baseline LC on 1) baseline LC and 2) the change in LC over time. We found that person-specific characteristics moderated the change over time in LC within MST. Older people had a smaller change over time in LC and did not retain the improved pattern as well as younger people (β = 0.01, SE = 0.004, p &lt; 0.01). People with greater baseline LC had a greater improvement in LC compared to people with less baseline LC (β = -0.07, SE = 0.01, p &lt; 0.01).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102960"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142873611","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}