Effect of whole-body vibration on lower-limb EMG activity in subjects with and without spinal cord injury

The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2014 · DOI: 10.1179/2045772314Y.0000000242 · Published: January 1, 2014

Simple Explanation

This study investigates if whole-body vibration (WBV) can activate leg muscles in both healthy individuals and those with spinal cord injury (SCI). The goal is to see if WBV can help prevent muscle and bone loss after SCI. The study tested different vibration settings (amplitude and frequency) and body positions to find out which ones best stimulate muscle activity in the legs. The results showed that WBV can indeed activate leg muscles in people with SCI, especially with higher vibration amplitudes and frequencies. This suggests WBV could be a useful therapy for maintaining muscle and bone health after SCI.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

10 male subjects (6 able-bodied, 4 with chronic SCI)

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
WBV can elicit EMG activity among subjects with chronic SCI, if appropriate vibration parameters are employed.
2
The amplitude of vibration had the greatest influence on EMG activation, while the frequency of vibration had lesser but statistically significant impact on the measured lower extremity EMG activity.
3
Variations in posture did not generate any statistically significant difference in EMG activation in any muscle or for any vibration conditions.

Research Summary

This study examined the effect of WBV on lower-limb EMG activity in both able-bodied individuals and those with SCI. The goal was to determine if WBV could elicit muscle activity in resting muscles, and to identify the vibration parameters that produced the largest effect. The results demonstrated that WBV can indeed induce EMG activity in subjects with chronic SCI, particularly when using appropriate vibration parameters. The amplitude of vibration had the most significant impact on EMG activation, while frequency also played a statistically significant role. The study concludes that WBV with specific parameters may be a promising intervention for treating musculoskeletal degradation after chronic SCI, warranting further investigation into its clinical application.

Practical Implications

Therapeutic Potential

WBV may be a viable intervention to counteract musculoskeletal degradation following chronic SCI.

Parameter Specificity

The choice of vibration platform and parameters, particularly amplitude and frequency, is critical for effective muscle activation.

Future Research

Further research is needed to explore the specific vibration parameters and their effects on muscle and bone health in individuals with SCI, potentially in conjunction with pharmacological interventions.

Study Limitations

1
The main limitation of our study is the overlap of the EMG recordings and vibration artifacts with the vibration frequency and its associated harmonics.
2
we cannot exclude the possibility that the subjects had some involuntary leg muscle contractions.
3
our conclusions are specific to the range of vibration parameter values explored in this study

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