Vocational muscle activity and perceived muscle tension in young adults

2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 107-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morten Wærsted ◽  
Liv Berit Hæg ◽  
Therese N. Hanvold ◽  
Gert-Åke Hansson ◽  
Kaj Bo Veiersted
2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-96
Author(s):  
Tiina Ritvanen ◽  
Reijo Koskelo ◽  
Osmo H„nninen

Abstract This study follows muscle activity in three different learning sessions (computer, language laboratory, and normal classroom) while students were studying foreign languages. Myoelectric activity was measured in 21 high school students (10 girls, 11 boys, age range 17-20 years) by surface electromyography (sEMG) from the upper trapezius and frontalis muscles during three 45-min sessions. Root mean square (RMS) average from both investigated muscles was calculated. The EMG activity was highest in both muscle groups in the computer-aided session and lowest in the language laboratory. The girls had higher EMG activity in both investigated muscle groups in all three learning situations. The measured blood pressure was highest at the beginning of the sessions, decreased within 10 min, but increased again toward the end of the sessions. Our results indicate that the use of a computer as a teaching-aid evokes more constant muscle activity than the traditional learning situations. Since muscle tension can have adverse health consequences, more research is needed to determine optimal classroom conditions, especially when technical aids are used in teaching.


2021 ◽  
Vol 89 ◽  
pp. 102-108
Author(s):  
Adam I. Semciw ◽  
Viji N. Visvalingam ◽  
Charlotte Ganderton ◽  
Peter Lawrenson ◽  
Paul W. Hodges ◽  
...  

2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (6) ◽  
pp. R2042-R2047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kentaro Ayada ◽  
Makoto Watanabe ◽  
Yasuo Endo

The effects of different types of stress (water bathing, cold, restraint, and prolonged walking) on histidine decarboxylase (HDC) activity in masseter, quadriceps femoris, and pectoralis superficial muscles, and in the stomach were examined in mice. All of these stresses elevated gastric HDC activity. Although water bathing, in which muscle activity was slight, was sufficiently stressful to produce gastric hemorrhage and to increase gastric HDC activity, it produced no detectable elevation of HDC activity in any of the muscles examined. The other stresses all elevated HDC activity in all three muscles. We devised two methods of restraint, one accompanied by mastication and the other not. The former elevated HDC activity in the masseter muscle, but the latter did not. These results suggest that 1) HDC activity in the stomach is an index of responses to stress, 2) the elevation of HDC activity in skeletal muscles during stress is induced partly or wholly by muscle activity and/or muscle tension, and 3) stress itself does not always induce an elevation of HDC activity in skeletal muscles.


Author(s):  
Corina Nüesch ◽  
Jan-Niklas Kreppke ◽  
Annegret Mündermann ◽  
Lars Donath

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.


2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen J. Huang ◽  
Alaa A. Ahmed

The ability to learn new movements and dynamics is important for maintaining independence with advancing age. Age-related sensorimotor changes and increased muscle coactivation likely alter the trial-and-error-based process of adapting to new movement demands (motor adaptation). Here, we asked, to what extent is motor adaptation to novel dynamics maintained in older adults (≥65 yr)? We hypothesized that older adults would adapt to the novel dynamics less well than young adults. Because older adults often use muscle coactivation, we expected older adults to use greater muscle coactivation during motor adaptation than young adults. Nevertheless, we predicted that older adults would reduce muscle activity and metabolic cost with motor adaptation, similar to young adults. Seated older ( n = 11, 73.8 ± 5.6 yr) and young ( n = 15, 23.8 ± 4.7 yr) adults made targeted reaching movements while grasping a robotic arm. We measured their metabolic rate continuously via expired gas analysis. A force field was used to add novel dynamics. Older adults had greater movement deviations and compensated for just 65% of the novel dynamics compared with 84% in young adults. As expected, older adults used greater muscle coactivation than young adults. Last, older adults reduced muscle activity with motor adaptation and had consistent reductions in metabolic cost later during motor adaptation, similar to young adults. These results suggest that despite increased muscle coactivation, older adults can adapt to the novel dynamics, albeit less accurately. These results also suggest that reductions in metabolic cost may be a fundamental feature of motor adaptation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 479-480 ◽  
pp. 475-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ha Ju So ◽  
Seong Hyun Kim ◽  
Dong Wook Kim

This study was conducted to investigate changes in gait pattern that appear after somatosensory stimulation evoked by applying mechanical vibration to the ankle. The gait pattern was observed in a real time using a footswitch mounted on the soles of the feet in order to increase the effectiveness of vibration stimulation. Based on the observed gait pattern, the application site and time of vibration stimulation were determined. The changes in the gait pattern that appear after the application of vibration stimulation were analyzed by comparing the percentage of the gait cycle and the activation of the lower extremity muscles. This study was conducted on young adults, and the result showed that the gait cycle was changed according to the application site of vibrating stimulation, and that the vibration stimulation with intensity less than the threshold, induced a similar effect as shown in vibration stimulation with threshold intensity. The result of this study shows that vibration stimulation could be effectively utilized for gait correction and rehabilitation. It can be also used as basic data for inferring the correlation of the characteristics of vibration stimulation with gait variability.


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