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Coratella G, Cè E, Doria C, Borrelli M, Toninelli N, Rampichini S, Limonta E, Longo S, Esposito F. Is the Interpolated-Twitch Technique-Derived Voluntary Activation Just Neural? Novel Perspectives from Mechanomyographic Data. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2023; 55:469-481. [PMID: 36288476 DOI: 10.1249/mss.0000000000003076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Voluntary activation (VA) determined by interpolation-twitch technique could be affected by the characteristics of the in-series elastic components. To overcome this possible bias, a novel approach based on the mechanomyographic (MMG) signal to detect voluntary activation (VA MMG ) has been proposed. We examined the changes in VA and VA MMG after passive stretching to check the influence of neural and mechanical factors in the force output. METHODS Twenty-six healthy men underwent VA assessment using the interpolated-twitch technique before and after unilateral passive stretching of the plantarflexors (five 45-s on + 15-s off). In addition to the force signal, the MMG signal was detected on gastrocnemius medialis, gastrocnemius lateralis, and soleus. From the force and MMG signal analysis, VA and VA MMG were calculated in the stretched and contralateral nonstretched limbs. Joint passive stiffness was also defined. RESULTS In the stretched limb, passive stretching increased dorsiflexion range (mean ± SD = +18% ± 10%, P < 0.001, ES = 1.54) but reduced joint passive stiffness (-22% ± 8%, P < 0.001, ES = -1.75), maximum voluntary contraction (-15% ± 7%, P < 0.001, ES = -0.87), VA (-7% ± 3%, P < 0.001, ES = -2.32), and VA MMG (~-5% ± 2%, P < 0.001, ES = -1.26/-1.14). In the contralateral nonstretched limb, passive stretching increased dorsiflexion range (+10% ± 6%, P < 0.001, ES = 0.80) but reduced joint passive stiffness (-3% ± 2%, P = 0.041, ES = -0.27), maximum voluntary contraction (-4% ± 3%, P = 0.035, ES = -0.24), VA (-4% ± 2%, P < 0.001, ES = -1.77), and VA MMG (~- 2% ± 1%, P < 0.05, ES = -0.54/-0.46). The stretch-induced changes in VA correlated with VA MMG ( R ranging from 0.447 to 0.583 considering all muscles) and with joint passive stiffness (stretched limb: R = 0.503; contralateral nonstretched limb: R = 0.530). CONCLUSIONS VA output is overall influenced by both neural and mechanical factors, not distinguishable using the interpolated-twitch technique. VA MMG is a complementary index to assess the changes in VA not influenced by mechanical factors and to examine synergistic muscles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Coratella
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, ITALY
| | | | - Christian Doria
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, ITALY
| | - Marta Borrelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, ITALY
| | - Nicholas Toninelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, ITALY
| | - Susanna Rampichini
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, ITALY
| | - Eloisa Limonta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, ITALY
| | - Stefano Longo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, ITALY
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Cè E, Coratella G, Doria C, Borrelli M, Rampichini S, Limonta E, Longo S, Esposito F. Determining voluntary activation in synergistic muscles: a novel mechanomyographic approach. Eur J Appl Physiol 2022; 122:1897-1913. [PMID: 35610394 PMCID: PMC9287262 DOI: 10.1007/s00421-022-04966-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Drawing on correlations between the mechanomyographic (MMG) and the force signal, we devised a novel approach based on MMG signal analysis to detect voluntary activation (VA) of the synergistic superficial heads of the quadriceps muscle. We hypothesized that, after a fatiguing exercise, the changes in the evoked MMG signal of each quadriceps head would correlate with the changes in the level of VA in the whole quadriceps. METHODS Twenty-five men underwent a unilateral single-leg quadriceps exercise to failure. Before and after exercise, VA was assessed by interpolated-twitch-technique via nerve stimulation during and after maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). The force and MMG signal were recorded from vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and rectus femoris. The MMG peak-to-peak was calculated and the voluntary activation index (VAMMG), defined as the superimposed/potentiated MMG peak-to-peak ratio, was determined from the MMG signal for each head. RESULTS VAMMG presented a very high intraclass correlation coefficient (0.981-0.998) and sensitivity (MDC95%: 0.42-6.97%). MVC and VA were decreased after exercise in both the exercising [MVC:-17(5)%, ES -0.92; VA: -7(3)%, ES -1.90] and the contralateral limb [MVC: -9(4)%, ES -0.48; VA: -4(1)%, ES -1.51]. VAMMG was decreased in both the exercising [~ -9(6)%, ES -1.77] and contralateral limb [~ -3(2)%, ES -0.57], with a greater decrease in VAMMG noted only in the vastus medialis of the exercising limb. Moderate-to-very high correlations were found between VAMMG and VA (R-range: 0.503-0.886) before and after exercise. CONCLUSION VAMMG may be implemented to assess VA and provide further information when multiple synergistic muscle heads are involved in fatiguing exercises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiliano Cè
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università Degli Studi Di Milano, University of Milan, Via Colombo 71, 20133, Milan, Italy. .,IRCSS Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute, Via Riccardo Galeazzi, 4, 20161, Milan, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Coratella
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università Degli Studi Di Milano, University of Milan, Via Colombo 71, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Christian Doria
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università Degli Studi Di Milano, University of Milan, Via Colombo 71, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Borrelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università Degli Studi Di Milano, University of Milan, Via Colombo 71, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Susanna Rampichini
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università Degli Studi Di Milano, University of Milan, Via Colombo 71, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Eloisa Limonta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università Degli Studi Di Milano, University of Milan, Via Colombo 71, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Longo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università Degli Studi Di Milano, University of Milan, Via Colombo 71, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Esposito
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health (SCIBIS), Università Degli Studi Di Milano, University of Milan, Via Colombo 71, 20133, Milan, Italy.,IRCSS Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute, Via Riccardo Galeazzi, 4, 20161, Milan, Italy
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Uwamahoro R, Sundaraj K, Subramaniam ID. Assessment of muscle activity using electrical stimulation and mechanomyography: a systematic review. Biomed Eng Online 2021; 20:1. [PMID: 33390158 PMCID: PMC7780389 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-020-00840-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
This research has proved that mechanomyographic (MMG) signals can be used for evaluating muscle performance. Stimulation of the lost physiological functions of a muscle using an electrical signal has been determined crucial in clinical and experimental settings in which voluntary contraction fails in stimulating specific muscles. Previous studies have already indicated that characterizing contractile properties of muscles using MMG through neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) showed excellent reliability. Thus, this review highlights the use of MMG signals on evaluating skeletal muscles under electrical stimulation. In total, 336 original articles were identified from the Scopus and SpringerLink electronic databases using search keywords for studies published between 2000 and 2020, and their eligibility for inclusion in this review has been screened using various inclusion criteria. After screening, 62 studies remained for analysis, with two additional articles from the bibliography, were categorized into the following: (1) fatigue, (2) torque, (3) force, (4) stiffness, (5) electrode development, (6) reliability of MMG and NMES approaches, and (7) validation of these techniques in clinical monitoring. This review has found that MMG through NMES provides feature factors for muscle activity assessment, highlighting standardized electromyostimulation and MMG parameters from different experimental protocols. Despite the evidence of mathematical computations in quantifying MMG along with NMES, the requirement of the processing speed, and fluctuation of MMG signals influence the technique to be prone to errors. Interestingly, although this review does not focus on machine learning, there are only few studies that have adopted it as an alternative to statistical analysis in the assessment of muscle fatigue, torque, and force. The results confirm the need for further investigation on the use of sophisticated computations of features of MMG signals from electrically stimulated muscles in muscle function assessment and assistive technology such as prosthetics control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Uwamahoro
- Fakulti Kejuruteraan Elektronik & Kejuruteraan Komputer, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Tunggal, Malaysia
- Regional Centre of Excellence in Biomedical Engineering and E-Health, University of Rwanda, PO BOX 4285, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Kenneth Sundaraj
- Fakulti Kejuruteraan Elektronik & Kejuruteraan Komputer, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Tunggal, Malaysia.
| | - Indra Devi Subramaniam
- Pusat Bahasa & Pembangunan Insan, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Tunggal, Malaysia
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Enhanced precision of ankle torque measure with an open-unit dynamometer mounted with a 3D force-torque sensor. Eur J Appl Physiol 2015; 115:2303-10. [DOI: 10.1007/s00421-015-3210-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2015] [Accepted: 06/25/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Novel insights into skeletal muscle function by mechanomyography: from the laboratory to the field. SPORT SCIENCES FOR HEALTH 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s11332-015-0219-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Krueger E, Scheeren EM, Nogueira-Neto GN, Button VLDSN, Nohama P. Advances and perspectives of mechanomyography. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.1590/1517-3151.0541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eddy Krueger
- Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná - UTFPR, Brasil
| | | | | | | | - Percy Nohama
- Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná - UTFPR, Brasil; Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Brasil; Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, Brasil
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Tang G, Zhang XA, Zhang LL, Wang HS, Nie WZ, Wang CT. A technical method using musculoskeletal model to analyse dynamic properties of muscles during human movement. Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin 2011; 14:615-20. [PMID: 21390930 DOI: 10.1080/10255842.2010.493508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
An effective way to avoid invading or injuring the subjects is to use the musculoskeletal model when studying the dynamic properties of muscles in vivo. So, we put forward a joint coordinate system-based method, which mainly focuses on the coordinate's transformation of corresponding muscle attachment points, respectively, in the model and the subject in order to reproduce the movement of the subject on the model. As muscle moment arm is usually used to evaluate the dynamic properties of muscles, the moment arms in elbow flexion for each of the major muscles crossing the elbow in 50 healthy subjects (25 males and 25 females), ranging in height from 1.50 to 1.80 m (mean 1.6542 m) are calculated and compared with the measured data obtained from anatomical studies reported in the literature. The trends of the value basically coincide with each other. So, this novel method can be valid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Tang
- Logistics Engineering College, Shanghai Maritime University, China
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Ohta Y, Shima N, Yabe K. The effect of summation of contraction on acceleration signals in human skeletal muscle. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2010; 20:1007-13. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2010.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2009] [Revised: 03/16/2010] [Accepted: 03/24/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
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Ohta Y, Yabe K. The effects of muscle architectural change with a pre-motion silent period on the subsequent muscular output during rapid voluntary movement. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2010; 20:136-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2008.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2008] [Revised: 09/28/2008] [Accepted: 11/23/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
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Scheeren EM, Nogueira-Neto GN, Krueger-Beck E, Button VLSN, Nohama P. Investigation of muscle behavior during different functional electrical stimulation profiles using Mechanomyography. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2010; 2010:3970-3973. [PMID: 21097271 DOI: 10.1109/iembs.2010.5627986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Mechanomyography (MMG) is a technique for measuring muscle oscillations and fatigue. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) has been applied to control movements mainly in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). The goal of this study is the application of the MMG signal as a tool to investigate muscle response during FES. Ten healthy individuals (HI) and three SCI were submitted to four FES profiles in the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles. Four FES profiles were applied in different days. The FES profile set to 1 kHz pulse frequency, 200 us active pulse duration and burst frequency of 50 Hz presented the lowest MMG root mean square and spectral median frequency values, suggesting less muscle modification. The MMG signal was different between HI and SCI but there was no difference between the RF and VL muscles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo M Scheeren
- Federal Technological University of Paraná, Curitiba, Ave Sete de Setembro 3165, Brazil.
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