Abstract
This study investigated spatial distribution and asymmetry of surface electromyography on lumbar muscles during a sustained contraction in soldiers with and without chronic low back pain. Twenty healthy soldiers and twenty chronic low back pain (CLBP) soldiers had performed the Sorensen test with a duration of 60 seconds. The corresponding muscle fatigue, spatial distribution, and the asymmetry of muscle activity over bilateral paraspinal lumbar regions were measured by the high-density surface electromyography (HDsEMG). The paired and independent samples t-tests were performed to compare the degree of muscle fatigue and asymmetry. The repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare spatial distribution between groups and muscle fatigue. The baseline characteristics of soldiers between groups were comparable. CLBP soldiers had significantly less muscle fatigue on both sides of erector spinae compared to healthy ones. The spatial distribution was significantly associated with the group factor but independent of muscle fatigue. In addition, the asymmetry of erector spinae activity in the CLBP soldiers was significantly higher than the healthy one. In conclusion, uneven spatial distribution and asymmetry of lumbar muscle activity play significant roles in CLBP patients. The HDsEMG could be used as an objective method in distinguishing the function of the erector spinae between healthy individuals and CLBP patients during 1 min sustained contraction.
Highlights
Low back pain (LBP) is neither a disease nor a diagnostic entity of any sort
By using an array of closely spaced electrodes organized in a quadrature grid to record a wide muscle area, highdensity surface electromyography (HDsEMG) allows insights into the spatial distribution of the myoelectric intensity of a muscle. e spatial distribution allows monitoring the activation of different muscle regions, which depends on joint position, contraction level, and duration of movement [9]
Surface electromyography (EMG) recordings were obtained bilaterally from the external oblique, rectus abdominis, and L2 and L5 erector spinae. e statistics analysis had revealed that soldiers in both groups had exhibited muscle fatigue on both sides of erector spinae
Summary
Low back pain (LBP) is neither a disease nor a diagnostic entity of any sort. Nonspecific LBP, in which the pathoanatomical cause of the pain cannot be determined, is the most common one. Nonspecific LBP affects people of all ages and is a leading contributor to disease burden worldwide [1, 2]. Compared to the other chronic diseases, LBP is a leading chronic health problem and occupies the first place among factors forcing elderly workers to retire prematurely and more people out of the workplace [3]. E spatial distribution allows monitoring the activation of different muscle regions, which depends on joint position, contraction level, and duration of movement [9]. This technique can be applied to evaluate the
Published Version (Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have