Acta Univ. Palacki. Olomuc., Gymn. 2011 41(1): 61-66 | DOI: 10.5507/ag.2011.007

Surface electromyography assessment of muscle activation patterns while sitting down in young healthy women and patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Amr Mohamed Zaki Zaatar, Jaroslav Opavský, Petr Uhlíř
Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacky University, Olomouc

Background: Muscle activation patterns depend on many factors. Surface electromyography (SEMG) can reveal these patterns in subjects of different ages and health states. We studied patterns of muscle activation in two groups of subjects - healthy young women (as a control group) and patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to register and compare muscle activation patterns while sitting down in these two groups in four situations with different positions of the lower and upper limbs.

Methods: Muscle activity was registered with the use of 8 channel surface polyelectromyography (Noraxon-Myosystem 1400A). We tested the following muscles bilaterally while the subjects were sitting down (tibialis anterior muscle, medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle, gluteus maximus muscle, erectores spinae muscles). The onset of each individual muscle's activity was determined by calculating the sum of the mean value of the SEMG baseline plus 10% of the maximum value of amplitude (peak).

Results: It was registered that the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle and/or erectores spinae muscles were activated as the first ones in both groups of the subjects under study in most of the studied postural situations. We registered differences in timing (sequence of muscle activation) among various studied body and limb positions (P-, P+, PD-, and PN-). A great degree of variability in the sequence of muscle activation was revealed, depending on the positions of the upper and lower limbs.

Conclusions: We did not find any unique patterns of muscle activation in either of the two groups under study.

Keywords: Poly-EMG, sitting down, healthy young women, ankylosing spondylitis

Prepublished online: September 8, 2011; Published: January 1, 2011  Show citation

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Zaatar, A.M.Z., Opavský, J., & Uhlíř, P. (2011). Surface electromyography assessment of muscle activation patterns while sitting down in young healthy women and patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis. Gymnica, 41(1), 61-66. doi: 10.5507/ag.2011.007
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