A review on muscle activation behaviour during gait in shallow water and deep-water running and surface electromyography procedures

Comparison Between Water Aerobics and Deep-Water Running on Middle-Aged Adults' Anthropometric, Hemodynamic and Functional Outcomes

BACKGROUND

Head-out aquatic training, using modalities such as water-aerobics/hydrogymnastics (HYD) and deep-water running (DWR), has been effective in improving the physical, metabolic and cognitive health of middle-aged adults. However, direct comparisons between these modalities are lacking.

AIM

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of water aerobics and deep-water running on anthropometric, functional and hemodynamic outcomes in adults and older adults.

METHODS

An uncontrolled pragmatic trial (RBR-2txw8zy) was conducted with participants aged 30 to 80, allocated to HYD and DWR groups. The intervention consisted of 12 weeks of progressive aerobic training with weekly undulating periodization (2× week), divided into three mesocycles (4, 5, and 3 weeks), each lasting 50 min. Intensity was prescribed using the Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE), ranging from RPE 11 to 17. Outcomes assessed included the 30 s chair stand, 30 s arm curl, Timed-Up-and-Go usual (TUG-u) and maximum (TUG-m), 6 min walking test (6MWT), body mass, waist circumference, blood pressure and resting heart rate-HRrest. The analysis was conducted using generalized estimating equations, with per-protocol (PP) and intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses.

RESULTS

The study included 104 participants (HYD: n = 63, mean age 59 years, 54 women; DWR: n = 41, mean age 53 years, 33 women). ITT analysis showed improvements in waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, and TUG-m in the HYD group, and a reduction in HRrest in the DWR group. Both modalities showed significant improvements in the 30 s chair stand, 30 s arm curl, 6MWT, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio in the PP analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Both modalities promoted functional improvements and favorable changes in anthropometric evaluations, with DWR showing a greater reduction in HRrest.

Comparing the Effects of Aqua- and Land-Based Active Cooldown Exercises on Muscle Soreness and Sport Performance: A Randomized Crossover Study

OBJECTIVE

Limited research has directly compared the effectiveness of aqua- and land-based exercises for postexercise recovery. This study aimed to fill this gap by comparing the effects of these 2 types of exercises on postexercise recovery.

METHODS

Sixteen male college athletes participated in an 8-day experimental study. The initial 2 days were dedicated to determining the intensity levels for the muscle-damaging exercise and recovery jogging. In a crossover design, participants underwent 2 sets of experimental trials. They were randomly assigned to either an aqua or land recovery intervention for days 3 to 5, and after a 1-week washout period they switched to the opposite intervention for days 6 to 8. Muscle soreness, creatine kinase, anaerobic performance, countermovement-jump height, and flexibility were assessed at different time points: baseline, immediately after downhill running, within 1 hour after jogging, and 24 hours and 48 hours after aqua or land jogging.

RESULTS

Significant group × time interaction effects were detected in the perceived soreness of the hamstring and quadriceps. However, the post hoc analysis showed no significant difference between aqua and land jogging groups. No significant group × time interaction effect was observed in creatine kinase, anaerobic performance, countermovement-jump height, or flexibility.

CONCLUSION

Aqua and land jogging have similar recovery effects on muscle soreness and performance-based parameters.

N. M, Choi W, Pan S. ResNet1D-Based Personal Identification with Multi-Session Surface Electromyography for Electronic Health Record Integration

Personal identification is an important aspect of managing electronic health records (EHRs), ensuring secure access to patient information, and maintaining patient privacy. Traditionally, biometric, signature, username/password, photo identity, etc., are employed for user authentication. However, these methods can be prone to security breaches, identity theft, and user inconvenience. The security of personal information is of paramount importance, particularly in the context of EHR. To address this, our study leverages ResNet1D, a deep learning architecture, to analyze surface electromyography (sEMG) signals for robust identification purposes. The proposed ResNet1D-based personal identification approach using the sEMG signal can offer an alternative and potentially more secure method for personal identification in EHR systems. We collected a multi-session sEMG signal database from individuals, focusing on hand gestures. The ResNet1D model was trained using this database to learn discriminative features for both gesture and personal identification tasks. For personal identification, the model validated an individual's identity by comparing captured features with their own stored templates in the healthcare EHR system, allowing secure access to sensitive medical information. Data were obtained in two channels when each of the 200 subjects performed 12 motions. There were three sessions, and each motion was repeated 10 times with time intervals of a day or longer between each session. Experiments were conducted on a dataset of 20 randomly sampled subjects out of 200 subjects in the database, achieving exceptional identification accuracy. The experiment was conducted separately for 5, 10, 15, and 20 subjects using the ResNet1D model of a deep neural network, achieving accuracy rates of 97%, 96%, 87%, and 82%, respectively. The proposed model can be integrated with healthcare EHR systems to enable secure and reliable personal identification and the safeguarding of patient information.

Feasibility Testing of Wearable Device for Musculoskeletal Monitoring during Aquatic Therapy and Rehabilitation

The objectives of this study were to test the feasibility of the developed waterproof wearable device with a Surface Electromyography (sEMG) sensor and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor by (1) comparing the onset duration of sEMG recordings from maximal voluntary contractions (MVC), (2) comparing the acceleration of arm movement from IMU, and (3) observing the reproducibility of onset duration and acceleration from the developed device for bicep brachii (BB) muscle between on dry-land, and in aquatic environments. Five healthy males participated in two experimental protocols with the activity of BB muscle of the left and right arms. Using the sEMG of BB muscle, the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and typical error (CV%) were calculated to determine the reproducibility and precision of onset duration and acceleration, respectively. In case of onset duration, no significant differences were observed between land and aquatic condition (p = 0.9-0.98), and high reliability (ICC = 0.93-0.98) and precision (CV% = 2.7-6.4%) were observed. In addition, acceleration data shows no significant differences between land and aquatic condition (p = 0.89-0.93), and high reliability (ICC = 0.9-0.97) and precision (CV% = 7.9-9.2%). These comparable sEMG and acceleration values in both dry-land and aquatic environment supports the suitability of the proposed wearable device for musculoskeletal monitoring during aquatic therapy and rehabilitation as the integrity of the sEMG and acceleration recordings maintained during aquatic activities.Clinical Relevance-This study and relevant experiment demonstrate the feasibility of the developed wearable device to support clinicians and therapists for musculoskeletal monitoring during aquatic therapy and rehabilitation.

Wearable technologies for monitoring aquatic exercises: A systematic review

Objective

To review methods for aquatic exercise monitoring using wearables.

Data sources

Database search of PubMed, IEEEXplore, Scopus and Web of Science based on keywords, considering articles from the year 2000. The last search was performed on 26 October 2022.

Review methods

Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, eligible articles on water exercises were selected and summarized. Further screening process concentrated on studies exploiting wearable devices, organized according to demographics, purpose, protocols, outcomes and methods. A custom critical appraisal questionnaire was applied.

Results

Out of the 1062 articles identified, 572 were considered eligible and subjected to preliminary synthesis. The final review focused on 27 articles featuring wearable devices applied to aquatic exercises. Four studies were disregarded as they applied wearable devices to determine daily physical activity or for sleep monitoring after training. Summary tables of 23 studies exploiting wearable devices for underwater motion analysis are provided, specifying the investigated parameters, major outcomes and study quality. This review identified four research gaps: (a) the absence of clinical protocols for underwater motion studies, (b) a deficit of whole-body studies, (c) the lack of longitudinal studies monitored via wearable devices and (d) the reliance of underwater studies on measurement and assessment methods developed for land-based investigations.

Conclusions

This review emphasizes the need for both technological and methodological improvements for underwater motion analysis studies using wearables. We advocate for longitudinal clinical investigations with wearables to substantiate water exercise as an addition or replacement for land-based physical activity.

Application of Surface Electromyography in Exercise Fatigue: A Review

Exercise fatigue is a common physiological phenomenon in human activities. The occurrence of exercise fatigue can reduce human power output and exercise performance, and increased the risk of sports injuries. As physiological signals that are closely related to human activities, surface electromyography (sEMG) signals have been widely used in exercise fatigue assessment. Great advances have been made in the measurement and interpretation of electromyographic signals recorded on surfaces. It is a practical way to assess exercise fatigue with the use of electromyographic features. With the development of machine learning, the application of sEMG signals in human evaluation has been developed. In this article, we focused on sEMG signal processing, feature extraction, and classification in exercise fatigue. sEMG based multisource information fusion for exercise fatigue was also introduced. Finally, the development trend of exercise fatigue detection is prospected.

Effectiveness of Deep Water Running on Improving Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Physical Function and Quality of Life: A Systematic Review

Deep Water Running (DWR) is a form of aquatic aerobic exercise simulating the running patterns adopted on dry land. Little is known on the effectiveness of DWR despite gaining popularity. The objective of this study is to systematically review the effects of DWR on cardiorespiratory fitness, physical function, and quality of life in healthy and clinical populations. A systematic search was completed using six databases, including SPORTDiscus, MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, Embase, and The Cochrane Library, up to February 2022. Eleven studies evaluating the effectiveness of DWR on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), physical function, or quality of life (QoL), compared with no interventions (or standard treatment) or land-based trainings were identified. Data relevant to the review questions were extracted by two independent reviewers when means and standard deviations were reported, and standardized mean differences were calculated. A quality assessment was conducted using selected items from the Downs and Black checklist. A total of 11 clinical trials (7 randomized controlled trials) with a total of 287 participants were included. Meta-analyses were not completed due to the high level of clinical and statistical heterogeneity between studies. Compared with land-based training, DWR showed similar effects on CRF with limited studies reporting outcomes of physical function and QoL compared with the no-exercise control group. DWR appears to be comparable to land-based training for improving CRF. The aquatic environment may provide some advantages for off-loaded exercise at high intensity in populations that are weak, injured or in pain, but more studies are required.

Energy Consumption of Water Running and Cycling at Four Exercise Intensities

Water exercise provides a workload in every direction of motion for training in a reduced impact environment. The selection of an appropriate physical activity and an individual exercise prescription are essential to obtain training effects. The aim of the present study was to determine individualised relative exercise intensities at four speeds of motion for water cycling and water running. Running was tested both in buoyancy and with the feet in contact with the bottom of the pool. To this purpose, gas exchanges, heart rate, and blood lactate were measured in each test session. Fourteen active, healthy females (23.2 ± 1.6 years) underwent a dry land maximal incremental protocol to exhaustion on a treadmill and hydrobike (HB); they engaged in water running with ground contact (RC) and water running suspended (RS) tests in a swimming pool at 30, 40, 50, and 60 cycles per minute (cpm), submerged at the individual xiphoid level. The four motion speeds of the three water exercise modalities ranged from 50% to 95% of the maximal heart rate and the maximal oxygen uptake, representing a moderate-to-vigorous training stimulus. RS elicited the lowest oxygen consumption, whereas HB demanded the significantly highest oxygen consumption and presented the highest blood lactate accumulation, with vigorous intensity being reached at 50 cpm and near maximal intensity at 60 cpm. It appears that water cycling could be more suitable for athletic training, whereas water running could be more appropriate for health and fitness purposes.

Calf Strain in Athletes

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Calf strain is a common condition. In high-performance athletes, calf strain contributes to a substantial absence from competition.

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Player age and history of a calf strain or other leg injury are the strongest risk factors for calf strain injury and reinjury.

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Although the diagnosis is often clinical, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound are valuable to confirm the location of the strain and the grade of injury.

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Nonoperative treatment is effective for most calf strain injuries. Operative management, although rarely indicated, may be appropriate for severe cases with grade-III rupture or complications.

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Further investigation is necessary to elucidate the benefits of blood flow restriction therapy, deep water running, lower-body positive pressure therapy, platelet-rich plasma, and stem cell therapy for calf strain rehabilitation.