Abstract
BackgroundThis study compares the immediate effects of local and adjacent acupuncture on the tibialis anterior muscle and the amount of force generated or strength in Kilogram Force (KGF) evaluated by a surface electromyography.MethodsThe study consisted of a single blinded trial of 30 subjects assigned to two groups: local acupoint (ST36) and adjacent acupoint (SP9). Bipolar surface electrodes were placed on the tibialis anterior muscle, while a force transducer was attached to the foot of the subject and to the floor. An electromyograph (EMG) connected to a computer registered the KGF and root mean square (RMS) before and after acupuncture at maximum isometric contraction. The RMS values and surface electrodes were analyzed with Student's t-test.ResultsThirty subjects were selected from a total of 56 volunteers according to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria and were assigned to one of the two groups for acupuncture. A significant decrease in the RMS values was observed in both ST36 (t = -3.80, P = 0,001) and SP9 (t = 6.24, P = 0.001) groups after acupuncture. There was a decrease in force in the ST36 group after acupuncture (t = -2.98, P = 0.006). The RMS values did not have a significant difference (t = 0.36, P = 0.71); however, there was a significant decrease in strength after acupuncture in the ST36 group compared to the SP9 group (t = 2.51, P = 0.01). No adverse events were found.ConclusionAcupuncture at the local acupoint ST36 or adjacent acupoints SP9 reduced the tibialis anterior electromyography muscle activity. However, acupuncture at SP9 did not decrease muscle strength while acupuncture at ST36 did.
Highlights
This study compares the immediate effects of local and adjacent acupuncture on the tibialis anterior muscle and the amount of force generated or strength in Kilogram Force (KGF) evaluated by a surface electromyography
Bilateral motor unit activation was observed during unilateral acupuncture of active myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) via the central nervous system (CNS) [3] and it was speculated that some acupoints as MTrPs caused the local increase of end plate noise (EPN) during acupuncture [10]
This study aims to compare the immediate physiological effects of acupuncture on the local stomach 36 (ST36) (Zusanli) and adjacent spleen 9 (SP9) (Yinlingquan) acupoints in the tibialis anterior muscle so that we can verify whether acupuncture can modulate the electric stimulation and strength in the local and adjacent regions of this muscle
Summary
This study compares the immediate effects of local and adjacent acupuncture on the tibialis anterior muscle and the amount of force generated or strength in Kilogram Force (KGF) evaluated by a surface electromyography. Acupuncture is an integral part of Chinese medicine and is widely practiced in China and other countries [1] to treat conditions [2] and diseases such as myofascial pain syndrome [3], muscle spasticity after stroke [4], knee osteoarthritis [5,6] and lower back pain [7]. Recent neural-imaging, pharmacological and electromyography data showed that some of the acupuncture effects were likely to be mediated by the activation of areas within the central nervous system (CNS) [8]. A decrease in electromyography activity has been reported in masticator muscles and spastic wrist flexor muscles of stroke survivors after acupuncture [2,4]. Since ST and SP are joined meridians that commonly control muscle energy, it would be interesting to investigate how stimulations at different points on these two meridians could differentially affect the mechanical and electrical properties of a muscle
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