Comparison of Ultrasound Muscle Stiffness Measurement and Electromyography Towards Validation of an Algorithm for Individual Muscle Control

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellenor Brown ◽  
Kazuya Aomoto ◽  
Atsutoshi Ikeda ◽  
Tsukasa Ogasawara ◽  
Yasuhide Yoshitake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Neuromuscular Disorders ◽  
Muscle Stiffness ◽  
Clinical Diagnostics ◽  
Control Individual ◽  
Muscle Coordination ◽  
Muscle Control ◽  
Individual Muscle ◽  
Limited Precision ◽  
The Right

The ability to control individual muscle activity is widely applicable in clinical diagnostics, training, and rehabilitation. Inducing muscle patterns that amplify abnormal muscle coordination can assist with early diagnosis of neuromuscular disorders. Individual muscle control also allows for targeted exercise of muscles weakened by disease, injury, or disuse. The goals of this research are to test a system for individual muscle control and introduce the use of muscle ultrasound as an alternative to electromyography (EMG). The system integrates a computational model of the right upper extremity with a robotic manipulator to predict and control muscle activity. To test the system, subjects gripped the manipulator and isometrically resisted loads applied to the hand. Muscle activity was measured via EMG and ultrasound. The system was able to induce the desired direction of muscle activity change but with limited precision. EMG measurement appeared susceptible to error due to crosstalk in the forearm.

Individual Muscle Control Using an Exoskeleton Robot for Muscle Function Testing

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Ueda ◽  
Moiz Hyderabadwala ◽  
Ming Ding ◽  
Tsukasa Ogasawara ◽  
Vijaya Krishnamoorthy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Muscle Function ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Muscle Control ◽  
Wearable Robot ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Individual Muscle ◽  
Exoskeleton Robot ◽  
Function Tests ◽  
Function Testing

A functionality test at the level of individual muscles by investigating the activity of a muscle of interest on various tasks may enable muscle-level force grading. This paper proposes a new method for muscle function tests using an exoskeleton robot for obtaining a wider variety of muscle activity data than standard motor tasks, e.g., pushing a handle by his/her hand. A computational algorithm systematically computes control commands to a wearable robot with actuators (an exoskeleton robot, or a power-assisting device) so that a desired muscle activation pattern for target muscle forces is induced. This individual muscle control method enables users (e.g., therapists) to efficiently conduct neuromuscular function tests for target muscles by arbitrarily inducing muscle activation patterns. Simulation results justify the use of an exoskeleton robot for muscle function testing in terms of the variety of muscle activity data.

Smartphone addiction and the relationship with head and neck pain and electromiographic activity of masticatory muscles

Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Fabiana Foltran Mescollotto ◽  
Érica Brito Gonçalves ◽  
Ester Moreira de Castro Carletti ◽  
Ana Beatriz Oliveira ◽  
Elisa Bizetti Pelai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Neck Pain ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Neck Region ◽  
Masticatory Muscles ◽  
Smartphone Addiction ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Smartphone Use ◽  
The Right

Background: Excessive use of smartphones may be associated with behavioral and physical health changes and might cause musculoskeletal alterations in the head and neck region. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of smartphone addiction in college students and its correlation with symptoms of head and neck pain and masticatory and trapezius muscle activity while resting, before and after smartphone use. Methods: Twenty university students participated in the study. They answered the Smartphone Addiction Scale and the Fonseca Anamnestic Index. Next, the participants were seated and prepared for electromyography through the placement of surface electrodes on the masseter, temporal, and trapezius muscles. Rest condition data were collected for 10 seconds before and after 30 minutes of smartphone use. Results: The results showed that 35% of the evaluated individuals were classified as smartphone addicted and 35% reported no head or neck pain in the previous 30 days. There was no association between smartphone use and head and neck pain. In the electromyography, there was an increase in RMS values after smartphone use in the right and left masseter muscles and the left trapezius. Conclusion: College students presented a high prevalence of smartphone addiction and head and neck pain, but these were not statistically associated. There was a change in muscle activity only in the right trapezius muscles before and after 30 minutes of smartphone use. These findings are contrary to the current belief that the use of smartphones correlates with pain in the neck region and changes in the electrical muscle activity, leading to fatigue in the cervical muscles.

Postural adjustments for online corrections of arm movements in standing humans

2011 ◽  
Vol 105 (5) ◽  
pp. 2375-2388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia A. Leonard ◽  
Valeriya Gritsenko ◽  
Ryan Ouckama ◽  
Paul J. Stapley
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Arm Movements ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Target Displacement ◽  
Postural Adjustments ◽  
Central Target ◽  
Postural Muscle ◽  
Online Corrections ◽  
Standing Humans ◽  
The Right

The aim of this study was to investigate how humans correct ongoing arm movements while standing. Specifically, we sought to understand whether the postural adjustments in the legs required for online corrections of arm movements are predictive or rely on feedback from the moving limb. To answer this question we measured online corrections in arm and leg muscles during pointing movements while standing. Nine healthy right-handed subjects reached with their dominant arm to a visual target in front of them and aligned with their midline. In some trials, the position of the target would switch from the central target to one of the other targets located 15°, 30°, or 45° to the right of the central (midline) target. For each target correction, we measured the time at which arm kinematics, ground reaction forces, and arm and leg muscle electromyogram significantly changed in response to the target displacement. Results show that postural adjustments in the left leg preceded kinematic corrections in the limb. The corrective postural muscle activity in the left leg consistently preceded the corrective reaching muscle activity in the right arm. Our results demonstrate that corrections of arm movements in response to target displacement during stance are preceded by postural adjustments in the leg contralateral to the direction of target shift. Furthermore, postural adjustments preceded both the hand trajectory correction and the arm-muscle activity responsible for it, which suggests that the central nervous system does not depend on feedback from the moving arm to modify body posture during voluntary movement. Instead, postural adjustments lead the online correction in the arm the same way they lead the initiation of voluntary arm movements. This suggests that forward models for voluntary movements executed during stance incorporate commands for posture that are produced on the basis of the required task demands.

scholarly journals Muscle contracture and passive mechanics in cerebral palsy

2019 ◽  
Vol 126 (5) ◽  
pp. 1492-1501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Lieber ◽  
Jan Fridén
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Matrix ◽  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Satellite Cells ◽  
Neuromuscular Disorders ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Muscle Stiffness ◽  
Muscle Satellite Cells ◽  
Cord Injury

Skeletal muscle contractures represent the permanent shortening of a muscle-tendon unit, resulting in loss of elasticity and, in extreme cases, joint deformation. They may result from cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, stroke, muscular dystrophy, and other neuromuscular disorders. Contractures are the prototypic and most severe clinical presentation of increased passive mechanical muscle force in humans, often requiring surgical correction. Intraoperative experiments demonstrate that high muscle passive force is associated with sarcomeres that are abnormally stretched, although otherwise normal, with fewer sarcomeres in series. Furthermore, changes in the amount and arrangement of collagen in the extracellular matrix also increase muscle stiffness. Structural light and electron microscopy studies demonstrate that large bundles of collagen, referred to as perimysial cables, may be responsible for this increased stiffness and are regulated by interaction of a number of cell types within the extracellular matrix. Loss of muscle satellite cells may be related to changes in both sarcomeres and extracellular matrix. Future studies are required to determine the underlying mechanism for changes in muscle satellite cells and their relationship (if any) to contracture. A more complete understanding of this mechanism may lead to effective nonsurgical treatments to relieve and even prevent muscle contractures.

scholarly journals Using a Module-Based Analysis Framework for Investigating Muscle Coordination during Walking in Individuals Poststroke: A Literature Review and Synthesis

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryant A. Seamon ◽  
Richard R. Neptune ◽  
Steven A. Kautz
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Nonnegative Matrix ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Control Individual ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Muscle Coordination ◽  
Flexion Extension ◽  
Gait Mechanics ◽  
Walking Performance ◽  
Future Work

Factorization methods quantitatively group electromyographic signals from several muscles during dynamic tasks into multiple modules where each module consists of muscles that are coactive during the movement. Module-based analyses may provide an analytical framework for testing theories of poststroke motor control recovery based on one’s ability to move independently from mass flexion-extension muscle group coactivation. Such a framework may be useful for understanding the causality between underlying neural impairments, biomechanical function, and walking performance in individuals poststroke. Our aim is to synthesize current evidence regarding the relationships between modules, gait mechanics, and rehabilitation in individuals poststroke. We synthesized eleven studies that performed module-based analyses during walking tasks for individuals poststroke. Modules were primarily identified by nonnegative matrix factorization, and fewer modules correlated with poor walking performance on biomechanical and clinical measures. Fewer modules indicated reduced ability to control individual muscle timing during paretic leg stance. There was evidence that rehabilitation can lead to the use of more and/or better-timed modules. While future work will need to establish the ability of modules to identify impairment mechanisms, they appear to offer a promising analytical approach for evaluating motor control.

scholarly journals Changes in the Stiffness of Thigh Muscles in the Left and Right Limbs During Six Weeks of Plyometric Training in Volleyball Players

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dariusz Mroczek ◽  
Edward Superlak ◽  
Marek Konefał ◽  
Krzysztof Maćkała ◽  
Paweł Chmura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Good Method ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Muscle Stiffness ◽  
Plyometric Training ◽  
Thigh Muscles ◽  
Left Limb ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Volleyball Players ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
The Right

Abstract Introduction. Monitoring muscle stiffness in athletes can be a good method of assessing fatigue caused by high training loads, and the early detection of fatigue can help prevent the occurrence of micro-trauma in the muscles that can cause contusions. The research carried out by Wilson et al. [1] confirmed that an optimal level of muscle stiffness is significantly correlated with high muscle loads. The aim of the current study was to determine changes in muscle stiffness of the left and right thighs during six weeks of plyometric training (PT) in volleyball players. Material and methods. The study involved 16 volleyball players from the second-league Opole University of Technology Club (age = 21.12 ± 1.66 years, height = 191.62 ± 5.73 cm, and weight = 86.25 ± 6.66 kg) with at least five years of competitive experience (7.5 ± 2.44 years). Muscle stiffness was measured during three stages of the plyometric training using a MYOTON PRO device (Estonia). Results. An RM-ANOVA analysis showed a significant difference in the resting stiffness of the semitendinosus (posterior thigh) muscles of the left and right limbs before the plyometric training began, but no significant differences were found in the stiffness of these muscles in the fourth or sixth weeks of training. The results of the measurement performed for the anterior muscles of the thigh did not reveal a significant difference in the stiffness of the left limb compared to that of the right limb in subsequent weeks of training. Conclusion. The loads used in plyometric training in volleyball players caused a decrease in the differences in muscle stiffness between the left and right limbs, and in both limbs, adaptation trended towards an increase or a decrease in stiffness.

The Spatial Dependency of Shoulder Muscle Demands for Seated Lateral Hand Force Exertions

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison C. McDonald ◽  
Elora C. Brenneman ◽  
Alan C. Cudlip ◽  
Clark R. Dickerson
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Hand Position ◽  
Individual Muscle ◽  
Repeated Measures Analysis ◽  
Spatial Parameters ◽  
Shoulder Complex ◽  
The Right

As the modern workplace is dominated by submaximal repetitive tasks, knowledge of the effect of task location is important to ensure workers are unexposed to potentially injurious demands imposed by repetitive work in awkward or sustained postures. The purpose of this investigation was to develop a three-dimensional spatial map of the muscle activity for the right upper extremity during laterally directed submaximal force exertions. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from fourteen muscles surrounding the shoulder complex as the participants exerted 40N of force in two directions (leftward, rightward) at 70 defined locations. Hand position in both push directions strongly influenced total and certain individual muscle demands as identified by repeated measures analysis of variance (P< .001). During rightward exertions individual muscle activation varied from 1 to 21% MVE and during leftward exertions it varied from 1 to 27% MVE with hand location. Continuous prediction equations for muscular demands based on three-dimensional spatial parameters were created with explained variance ranging from 25 to 73%. The study provides novel information for evaluating existing and proactive workplace designs, and may help identify preferred geometric placements of lateral exertions in occupational settings to lower muscular demands, potentially mitigating fatigue and associated musculoskeletal risks.

The Effects of Lifting Posture on Trunk Muscle Activity

1992 ◽  
Vol 36 (10) ◽  
pp. 742-746
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Hamrick ◽  
Sean Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Latissimus Dorsi ◽  
Trunk Muscle ◽  
Trunk Muscles ◽  
Oblique Muscle ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
External Oblique ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
The Right ◽  
Guidelines And Recommendations

Trunk muscle activity of twelve healthy males with coal mining experience was examined while each subject lifted a box under various conditions. The independent variables were four levels of posture (kneeling, stooped under a 1.2 m roof, stooped under a 1.6 m roof, and standing), height to which the box was lifted (35 cm or 70 cm), and weight of the lifting box (15 kg, 20 kg, or 25 kg). The dependent variables were the peak EMG values recorded during a lift for each of eight trunk muscles (left and right erectores spinae, left and right latissimus dorsi, left and right external oblique, and left and right rectus abdominis). Posture and weight of lift significantly affected peak activity of the left and right erectores spinae, the left and right latissimus dorsi muscles, and the right external oblique muscle. The latissimus dorsi muscle activity was highest in the low stooping posture, and was lowest in the kneeling posture, while erectores spinae activity was highest in the kneeling posture and decreased as the trunk became more flexed. Thus, the muscle activity during lifting tasks is affected by restricting a worker's posture. Consequently, many lifting guidelines and recommendations currently in use may not be directly applicable to work being performed in restricted postures.

Whole body muscle activity during weightlifting exercise evaluated by positron emission tomography

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rikuto Yoshimizu ◽  
Junsuke Nakase ◽  
Takafumi Mochizuki ◽  
Yasushi Takata ◽  
Kengo Shimozaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Positron Emission Tomography ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Erector Spinae ◽  
Triceps Surae ◽  
Emission Tomography ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Computed Tomography Images ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
The Right ◽  
Fdg Accumulation

Abstract BackgroundThis study investigated the whole-body skeletal muscle activity pattern of hang power clean (HPC), a major weight training exercise, using positron emission tomography (PET).MethodTwelve college weightlifting athletes performed three sets of HPC 20 times with a barbell set to 40 kg both before and after an intravenous injection of 37 MBq 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). PET-computed tomography images were obtained 50 min after FDG injection. Regions of interest were defined within 71 muscles. The standardized uptake value was calculated to examine the FDG uptake of muscle tissue per unit volume, and FDG accumulation was compared to the control group. The Mann–Whitney U-test was used to evaluate the differences in the mean SUV between groups. The difference between SUVs of the right and left muscles was evaluated by a paired t-test. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsFDG accumulation within the vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, and vastus medialis was higher than that of the rectus femoris. FDG accumulation within the triceps surae muscle was significantly higher only in the soleus. In the trunk and hip muscles, FDG accumulation of only the erector spinae was significantly increased. In all skeletal muscles, there was no difference between SUVs of the right and left muscles.ConclusionsThe monoarticular muscles in the lower limbs were active in HPC. In contrast, deep muscles in the trunk and hip were not active during HPC. HPC is not suitable for core training and needs to be supplemented with other training.

scholarly journals Effects of a Dynamic Chair on Chair Seat Motion and Trunk Muscle Activity during Office Tasks and Task Transitions

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 2723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina Nüesch ◽  
Jan-Niklas Kreppke ◽  
Annegret Mündermann ◽  
Lars Donath
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Dynamic Condition ◽  
Trunk Muscle ◽  
Erector Spinae ◽  
Task Transition ◽  
The Right ◽  
Hand Writing ◽  
And Task

Employing dynamic office chairs might increase the physical (micro-) activity during prolonged office sitting. We investigated whether a dynamic BioSwing® chair increases chair sway and alters trunk muscle activation. Twenty-six healthy young adults performed four office tasks (reading, calling, typing, hand writing) and transitions between these tasks while sitting on a dynamic and on a static office chair. For all task-transitions, chair sway was higher in the dynamic condition (p < 0.05). Muscle activation changes were small with lower mean activity of the left obliquus internus during hand writing (p = 0.07), lower mean activity of the right erector spinae during the task-transition calling to hand writing (p = 0.036), and higher mean activity of the left erector spinae during the task-transition reading to calling (p = 0.07) on the dynamic chair. These results indicate that an increased BioSwing® chair sway only selectively alters trunk muscle activation. Adjustments of chair properties (i.e., swinging elements, foot positioning) are recommended.

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