Upper Limb Electromyographic Analysis Synchronized with Kinematics in Cervical Spinal Cord Injured Patients during the Activity of Daily Living of Drinking - Abstract
Background: Analytical descriptive study to describe the surface electromyographic (sEMG) patterns in healthy and cervical SCI patients and to classify these findings within the reaching and forward transport phases within the activity of daily living (ADL) of drinking
Methods: Eighteen subjects divided into three groups participated in the study: a healthy group (n=7) and two groups of patients with cervical SCI with metameric level C6 (n=7) and C7 (n=4). On each subject, sEMG data were recorded from 9 muscles and synchronized with trunk and right arm kinematic data, while performing five complete cycles of the ADL of drinking. The EMG activity was expressed as root mean square (RMS) values. The kinematic variables analyzed were the range of motion of shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to find possible differences between the three groups analyzed.
Results: The analysis of the EMG activity revealed differences in the distal muscles (triceps brachii and wrist flexors and extensors) between the healthy people and SCI patients, and in proximal muscles (biceps brachii between C6 and C7 SCI patients and in posterior deltoid between healthy people and C7 SCI patients). In relation to kinematics, the more important differences were found in the wrist joint.
Conclusion: This study provides new evidences about the neuromuscular mechanisms underlying the execution of the ADL of drinking in SCI patients. This tool could be useful to determine the response to therapeutic interventions.