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Santuz A, Janshen L, Brüll L, Munoz-Martel V, Taborri J, Rossi S, Arampatzis A. Sex-specific tuning of modular muscle activation patterns for locomotion in young and older adults. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0269417. [PMID: 35658057 PMCID: PMC9165881 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that including sex as a biological variable is of crucial importance to promote rigorous, repeatable and reproducible science. In spite of this, the body of literature that accounts for the sex of participants in human locomotion studies is small and often produces controversial results. Here, we investigated the modular organization of muscle activation patterns for human locomotion using the concept of muscle synergies with a double purpose: i) uncover possible sex-specific characteristics of motor control and ii) assess whether these are maintained in older age. We recorded electromyographic activities from 13 ipsilateral muscles of the lower limb in young and older adults of both sexes walking (young and old) and running (young) on a treadmill. The data set obtained from the 215 participants was elaborated through non-negative matrix factorization to extract the time-independent (i.e., motor modules) and time-dependent (i.e., motor primitives) coefficients of muscle synergies. We found sparse sex-specific modulations of motor control. Motor modules showed a different contribution of hip extensors, knee extensors and foot dorsiflexors in various synergies. Motor primitives were wider (i.e., lasted longer) in males in the propulsion synergy for walking (but only in young and not in older adults) and in the weight acceptance synergy for running. Moreover, the complexity of motor primitives was similar in younger adults of both sexes, but lower in older females as compared to older males. In essence, our results revealed the existence of small but defined sex-specific differences in the way humans control locomotion and that these are not entirely maintained in older age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Santuz
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Lars Janshen
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Leon Brüll
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Network Aging Research, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Victor Munoz-Martel
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Juri Taborri
- Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Stefano Rossi
- Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Adamantios Arampatzis
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Maeda N, Komiya M, Nishikawa Y, Morikawa M, Tsutsumi S, Tashiro T, Fukui K, Kimura H, Urabe Y. Effect of Acute Static Stretching on the Activation Patterns Using High-Density Surface Electromyography of the Gastrocnemius Muscle during Ramp-Up Task. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21144841. [PMID: 34300581 PMCID: PMC8309794 DOI: 10.3390/s21144841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate motor unit recruitment during submaximal voluntary ramp contraction in the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle (MG) by high-density spatial electromyography (SEMG) before and after static stretching (SS) in healthy young adults. SS for gastrocnemius was performed in 15 healthy participants for 2 min. Normalized peak torque by bodyweight of the plantar flexor, muscle activity at peak torque, and muscle activation patterns during ramp-up task were evaluated before and after SS. Motor unit recruitment during the submaximal voluntary contraction of the MG was measured using SEMG when performing submaximal ramp contractions during isometric ankle plantar flexion from 30 to 80% of the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). To evaluate the changes in the potential distribution of SEMG, the root mean square (RMS), modified entropy, and coefficient of variation (CV) were calculated from the dense surface EMG data when 10% of the MVC force was applied. Muscle activation patterns during the 30 to 80% of MVC submaximal voluntary contraction tasks were significantly changed from 50 to 70% of MVC after SS when compared to before. The variations in motor unit recruitment after SS indicate diverse motor unit recruitments and inhomogeneous muscle activities, which may adversely affect the performance of sports activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriaki Maeda
- Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan; (M.K.); (M.M.); (S.T.); (T.T.); (K.F.); (Y.U.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-82-257-5410; Fax: +81-82-257-5344
| | - Makoto Komiya
- Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan; (M.K.); (M.M.); (S.T.); (T.T.); (K.F.); (Y.U.)
| | - Yuichi Nishikawa
- Faculty of Frontier Engineering, Institute of Science & Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan;
| | - Masanori Morikawa
- Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan; (M.K.); (M.M.); (S.T.); (T.T.); (K.F.); (Y.U.)
- Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430 Morioka-cho, Aichi, Obu City 474-8511, Japan
| | - Shogo Tsutsumi
- Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan; (M.K.); (M.M.); (S.T.); (T.T.); (K.F.); (Y.U.)
| | - Tsubasa Tashiro
- Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan; (M.K.); (M.M.); (S.T.); (T.T.); (K.F.); (Y.U.)
| | - Kazuki Fukui
- Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan; (M.K.); (M.M.); (S.T.); (T.T.); (K.F.); (Y.U.)
| | - Hiroaki Kimura
- Department of Rehabilitation, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan;
| | - Yukio Urabe
- Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan; (M.K.); (M.M.); (S.T.); (T.T.); (K.F.); (Y.U.)
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Anders C, Sander K, Layher F, Patenge S, Kinne RW. Temporal and spatial relationship between gluteal muscle Surface EMG activity and the vertical component of the ground reaction force during walking. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0251758. [PMID: 34038412 PMCID: PMC8153502 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Optimized temporal and spatial activation of the gluteal intermuscular functional unit is essential for steady gait and minimized joint loading. RESEARCH QUESTION To analyze the temporal relationship between spatially resolved surface EMG (SEMG) of the gluteal region and the corresponding ground reaction force (GRF). METHODS Healthy adults (29♀; 25♂; age 62.6±7.0 years) walked at their self-selected slow, normal, and fast walking speeds on a 10 m walkway (ten trials/speed). Bilateral paired eight-electrode strips were horizontally aligned at mid-distance of the vertical line between greater trochanter and iliac crest. Concerning the ventral to dorsal direction, the center of each strip was placed on this vertical line. Initially, these signals were monopolarly sampled, but eight vertically oriented bipolar channels covering the whole gluteal region from ventral to dorsal (P1 to P8) were subsequently calculated by subtracting the signals of the corresponding electrodes of each electrode strip for both sides of the body. Three vertical bipolar channels represented the tensor fasciae latae (TFL; P2), gluteus medius (Gmed, SENIAM position; average of P4 and P5), and gluteus maximus muscles (Gmax; P7). To determine the interval between SEMG and corresponding GRF, the time delay (TD) between the respective first amplitude peaks (F1) in SEMG and vertical GRF curves was calculated. RESULTS Throughout the grand averaged SEMG curves, the absolute amplitudes significantly differed among the three walking speeds at all electrode positions, with the amplitude of the F1 peak significantly increasing with increasing speed. In addition, when normalized to slow, the relative SEMG amplitude differences at the individual electrode positions showed an impressively homogeneous pattern. In both vertical GRF and all electrode SEMGs, the F1 peak occurred significantly earlier with increasing speed. Also, the TD between SEMG and vertical GRF F1 peaks significantly decreased with increasing speed. Concerning spatial activation, the TD between the respective F1 peaks in the SEMG and vertical GRF was significantly shorter for the ventral TFL position than the dorsal Gmed and Gmax positions, showing that the SEMG F1 peak during this initial phase of the gait cycle occurred earlier in the dorsal positions, and thus implying that the occurrence of the SEMG F1 peak proceeded from dorsal to ventral. SIGNIFICANCE Tightly regulated spatial and temporal activation of the gluteal intermuscular functional unit, which includes both speed- and position-dependent mechanisms, seems to be an essential requirement for a functionally optimized, steady gait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Anders
- Division of Motor Research, Pathophysiology and Biomechanics; Experimental Trauma Surgery; Department for Hand, Reconstructive, and Trauma Surgery; Jena University Hospital; Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Klaus Sander
- Chair of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopedics, Jena University Hospital, Waldkliniken Eisenberg GmbH, Deutsches Zentrum für Orthopädie; Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Frank Layher
- Chair of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopedics, Jena University Hospital, Waldkliniken Eisenberg GmbH, Deutsches Zentrum für Orthopädie; Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Steffen Patenge
- Chair of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopedics, Jena University Hospital, Waldkliniken Eisenberg GmbH, Deutsches Zentrum für Orthopädie; Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Raimund W. Kinne
- Experimental Rheumatology Unit, Department of Orthopedics, Jena University Hospital, Waldkliniken Eisenberg GmbH, Deutsches Zentrum für Orthopädie; Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
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The Association Between Femoral Neck-Shaft Angle and Aging and Its Influence on the Performance of Functional Activity: A Cross-Sectional Investigation. J Aging Phys Act 2020; 28:250-254. [PMID: 31743091 DOI: 10.1123/japa.2019-0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Revised: 06/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The purposes of this study were first to examine the association between aging and both the magnitude and asymmetry in the femoral neck-shaft angle (NSA). The second purpose was to determine the effects of both the magnitude and NSA asymmetry on the performance of functional activities in healthy individuals. Fifty-one subjects participated in this study. The femoral NSA was measured on computed tomography scout images. The participants performed four performance tests. Four hierarchical regression models were constructed to explore the effect of each predictor on the outcomes. Aging was associated with NSA asymmetry, but not with the degree of NSA. Age contributed significantly to the variability of all functional performance tests except the 10-m walking speed. The degree of the NSA did not contribute to the prediction of the functional performance tests. However, asymmetry in the NSA added significantly to the prediction of all functional performance tests except the 10-m walking speed.
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Muyor JM, Martín-Fuentes I, Rodríguez-Ridao D, Antequera-Vique JA. Electromyographic activity in the gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and rectus femoris during the Monopodal Squat, Forward Lunge and Lateral Step-Up exercises. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230841. [PMID: 32236133 PMCID: PMC7112217 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Monopodal Squat, Forward Lunge and Lateral Step-Up exercises are commonly performed with one's own body weight for rehabilitation purposes. However, muscle activity evaluated using surface electromyography has never been analyzed among these three exercises. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were to evaluate the amplitude of the EMG activity of the gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and rectus femoris muscles in participants performing the Lateral Step-Up, Forward Lunge and Monopodal Squat exercises. A total of 20 physically active participants (10 men and 10 women) performed 5 repetitions at 60% (5 repetition maximum) in each of the evaluated exercises. The EMG amplitude was calculated in percentage of the maximum voluntary contraction. The Monopodal Squat exercise showed a higher EMG activity (p ≤ 0.001) in relation to the Lateral Step-Up and Forward Lunge exercises in all of the evaluated muscles (d > 0.6) except for the rectus femoris. The three exercises showed significantly higher EMG activity in all of the muscles that were evaluated in the concentric phase in relation to the eccentric one. In the three evaluated exercises, vastus lateralis and vastus medialis showed the highest EMG activity, followed by gluteus medius and gluteus maximus. The Monopodal Squat, Forward Lunge and Lateral Step-Up exercises not only are recommended for their rehabilitation purposes but also should be recommended for performance objectives and strength improvement in the lower limbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M. Muyor
- Laboratory of Kinesiology Biomechanics and Ergonomics (KIBIOMER Lab.), Research Central Services, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
- Health Research Centre University of Almería, Almería, Spain
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Anders C, Patenge S, Sander K, Layher F, Kinne RW. Systematic differences of gluteal muscle activation during overground and treadmill walking in healthy older adults. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2018; 44:56-63. [PMID: 30513450 DOI: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2018.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Guteal muscle activation during walkway and treadmill walking was compared by means of Surface EMG (SEMG). Healthy older adults (50-75 years, n = 54; 29 females, 25 males) walked on a walkway (WW) at their self-selected slow, normal, and fast walking speeds and on a treadmill (TM) at 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 km/h. Subject-individual, best-matched speed pairs were constituted and named SLOW, NORMAL, and FAST. Hip muscle activation was measured on both sides at mid-distance between the greater trochanter and the iliac crest by applying eight equally-spaced bipolar SEMG channels from ventral to dorsal (P1-P8). Grand averaged amplitude curves and mean amplitudes over the complete stride were analyzed to compare WW and TM walking. TM walking evoked significantly elevated mean amplitude levels, particularly at the ventral positions P1 to P4, which were disproportionately increased at SLOW. In grand averaged curves, corresponding significant amplitude differences between WW and TM were observed during load acceptance (SLOW; NORMAL), mid-stance (all speeds), and late swing phase (SLOW), with the number of significant differences decreasing for all electrode positions from SLOW to FAST. Compared to WW walking, TM walking may thus require systematically elevated effort of gluteal muscles, in particular at slow walking speed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Anders
- Clinic for Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Division of Motor Research, Pathophysiology and Biomechanics, Jena University Hospital, 07740 Jena, Germany.
| | - Steffen Patenge
- Chair of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopedics, Jena University Hospital, Waldkliniken GmbH, Deutsches Zentrum für Orthopädie, 07607 Eisenberg, Germany
| | - Klaus Sander
- Chair of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopedics, Jena University Hospital, Waldkliniken GmbH, Deutsches Zentrum für Orthopädie, 07607 Eisenberg, Germany
| | - Frank Layher
- Chair of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopedics, Jena University Hospital, Waldkliniken GmbH, Deutsches Zentrum für Orthopädie, 07607 Eisenberg, Germany
| | - Raimund W Kinne
- Experimental Rheumatology Unit, Department of Orthopedics, Jena University Hospital, Waldkliniken GmbH, Deutsches Zentrum für Orthopädie, 07607 Eisenberg, Germany
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