EMG-angle relationship of the hamstring muscles during maximum knee flexion

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Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the EMG–joint angle relationship during voluntary contraction with maximum effort and the differences in activity among three hamstring muscles during knee flexion. Ten healthy subjects performed maximum voluntary isometric and isokinetic knee flexion. The isometric tests were performed for 5 s at knee angles of 60 and 90°. The isokinetic test, which consisted of knee flexion from 0 to 120° in the prone position, was performed at an angular velocity of 30°/s (0.523 rad/s). The knee flexion torque was measured using a KIN-COM isokinetic dynamometer. The individual EMG activity of the hamstrings, i.e. the semitendinosus, semimembranosus, long head of the biceps femoris and short head of the biceps femoris muscles, was detected using a bipolar fine wire electrode. With isometric testing, the knee flexion torque at 60° knee flexion was greater than that at 90°. The mean peak isokinetic torque occurred from 15 to 30° knee flexion angle and then the torque decreased as the knee angle increased (p<0.01). The EMG activity of the hamstring muscles varied with the change in knee flexion angle except for the short head of the biceps femoris muscle under isometric condition. With isometric contraction, the integrated EMGs of the semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles at a knee flexion angle of 60° were significantly lower than that at 90°. During maximum isokinetic contraction, the integrated EMGs of the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and short head of the biceps femoris muscles increased significantly as the knee angle increased from 0 to 105° of knee flexion (p<0.05). On the other hand, the integrated EMG of the long head of the biceps femoris muscle at a knee angle of 60° was significantly greater than that at 90° knee flexion with isometric testing (p<0.01). During maximum isokinetic contraction, the integrated EMG was the greatest at a knee angle between 15 and 30°, and then significantly decreased as the knee angle increased from 30 to 120° (p<0.01). These results demonstrate that the EMG activity of hamstring muscles during maximum isometric and isokinetic knee flexion varies with change in muscle length or joint angle, and that the activity of the long head of the biceps femoris muscle differs considerably from the other three heads of hamstrings.

Introduction

The hamstrings muscle group, composed of four muscle bellies, i.e. the semitendinosus (ST), the semimembranosus (SM) and the long and short heads of the biceps femoris (BF long and BF short) muscles, are active during knee flexion. These muscles are often classified as medial hamstrings (ST and SM) and the lateral hamstrings (BF long and BF short) according to their rotational function on the tibia, and into bi-articular muscles (ST, SM and BF long) or monoarticular muscle (BF short) according to the number of joints they act upon. In addition, several investigators have reported on the morphological features of the individual hamstring muscles [1], [2], [3], [4]. These reports showed that the muscle weight, muscle volume, pennation angle, physiological cross sectional area and muscle fiber length differ among different hamstring muscles.

Despite these differences, the hamstring muscles are often examined as one functional group using a single pair of electrodes when the EMG activity of the hamstring muscles are assessed or as two groups, comprising the medial and lateral hamstrings, using two pairs of electrodes [5], [6], [7], [8], [9]. Lunnen et al. [9] investigated the relationship between hip angle and the EMG activity of the biceps femoris muscle using one bipolar surface EMG electrode, and found that the activity of the biceps femoris muscle at a hip flexion angle of 135° was significantly lower than that at 0 or 45° hip flexion. However, the detection volume may have altered as the hip angle changed from 0 to 135° under the surface electrode [10]. Furthermore, the relationship between the knee angle and the activity of each hamstring muscle was not clarified.

In the vast majority of cases, several muscles combine to produce the contractile torque measured externally on a limb. Howard et al. [11] described the differences in EMG activity between the biceps brachii and the brachioradialis muscles during elbow flexion. In addition, several investigators have demonstrated selective activation in the human triceps surae muscles [12], [13], [14]. For example, Tamaki et al. [14] reported that the triceps surae muscles show a different EMG pattern during isokinetic plantarflexions at various angular velocities and knee angle under submaximum contraction. Thus, the agonist muscles, which are composed of several synergistic muscles, sometimes showed different EMG patterns. However, the differences in EMG activity among the hamstring muscles remain unclear during knee flexion.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the EMG–joint angle relationship during maximum effort voluntary contraction and identify the differences in activity among the four hamstring muscle bellies.

Section snippets

Subjects

Ten healthy males (aged 21–36 years; mean±standard deviation: 30.2±4.5 years) participated in the study. The subjects had no previous history of injury to their thigh muscles or knee joints, and none were participating in any regular exercise regime. Body weight ranged from 53 to 90 kg (71.7±10.1 kg), and body height ranged from 163 to190 cm (172.6±8.1 cm). Informed consent was obtained from all subjects.

Procedure

Fine wire electrodes were inserted (see below) into the right side ST, SM, BF long and BF

Isometric testing

With isometric testing, the maximum knee flexion torque at a knee angle of 60° was 121.1±6.6% (mean±SE) of the value at 90° knee flexion. The torque differences between the knee angles of 60 and 90° were significantly different (p<0.01).

The NIEMGs of the hamstring muscles during maximum isometric knee flexion are shown in Table 1. The NIEMGs of ST and SM, which were obtained at 60° knee flexion, were significantly lower than the value at 90° knee flexion. On the other hand, the NIEMG of BF long

Discussion

In the present study, the knee flexion torque was modified by changes in knee angle during isometric and isokinetic knee flexion. The peak torque of isokinetic knee flexion at 30°/s (0.523 rad/s) was found at a knee angle between 15 and 30° and then decreased as the knee flexion angle increased. This relationship between flexion torque and angle of the knee was expected and supported by previous reports [19], [20], [21], [22], [23]. These reports show that the peak torque of the knee flexor is

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Dr Serge H Roy (Boston University Neuromuscular Research Center, Boston, MA) for his comments on the manuscript.

Hideaki Onishi received his MS and PhD in disability science from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan, in 1997 and 2000. He gained the Japanese national license of Physical Therapists in 1989. He graduated from the Department of Physical Therapy School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shinshu University in 1989. Between 1989 and 1995, he worked for Meiwa Hospital, Hyogo, Japan, as a Physical Therapists He is presently a lecturer in the Department of Physical Therapy at

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    Hideaki Onishi received his MS and PhD in disability science from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan, in 1997 and 2000. He gained the Japanese national license of Physical Therapists in 1989. He graduated from the Department of Physical Therapy School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shinshu University in 1989. Between 1989 and 1995, he worked for Meiwa Hospital, Hyogo, Japan, as a Physical Therapists He is presently a lecturer in the Department of Physical Therapy at Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan. His research interests include focusing on functional anatomy and Kinesiology of the lower limb. He is a member of the International Society of Electrophysiology and Kinesiology, the Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine and the Japanese Association of Physical Therapists.

    Ryo Yagi received his M.D. degree (1985) from Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Japan. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, Shinshu University in 1973. He was a Director of the Section of Rehabilitation Medicine in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tokyo Koseinenkin Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, from 1990 to 1994. From 1994 to 2000, he was an Associate Professor of the Department of Restorative Neuromuscular Surgery and Rehabilitation, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. He is presently a Director of the Department of Rehabilitation, Toyohashi City Hospital, Toyohashi, Japan. He is a member of the Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Japanese Orthopaedic Association and the Japan Medical Society of Paraplegia.

    Mineo Oyama obtained the Japanese national license of Occupational Therapists in 1984 after graduating from Higashinagoya National Hospital Rehabilitation College. He was engaged in hand rehabilitation from 1984 to 1996 at Nagoya Ekisaikai Hospital. In 1998 and 2001 he received his M.S. and PhD in disability science from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine. He is presently a postdoctoral research fellow at the Mayo Clinic. His research interests focus on hand therapy, functional anatomy of the hand and clinical application of functional electrical stimulation for the paralyzed upper extremities. He is a member of the Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists, the Japan Hand Therapy Society and the International Functional Electrical Stimulation Society.

    Kiyokazu Akasaka graduated from the School of Allied Medical Professions, Kanazawa University in 1990. He started working as a Licensed Physical Therapist in 1990. He received a BA degree from Wichita State University, Kansas in 1993 and an MS and PhD in disability science from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in 1997 and 2000, respectively. Since 2000, he has been working as a Physical Therapist at Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical School. He is a member of the Japanese Association of Physical Therapists, the Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Japanese Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, and the Japanese Society of Electrophysiology and Kinesiology.

    Kouji Ihashi received his PhD in medical science from Tohoku University in 1995. He received his Japanese national license of Physical Therapy in 1976. From 1976 to 1982, he was engaged in work on physical therapy for SCI and stroke patients. He worked for the Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shinshu University from 1983 to 1992 first as an Assistant Professor then as an Associate Professor engaged in work on chest physical therapy and kinesiology. From 1993 to 1998 he worked at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, on FES and TES and also kinesiology. He is currently a Professor of the Department of Physical Therapy, Yamagata Prefectural University of Health Science.

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