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EMG Biofeedback as a Tool for Simulating the Effects of Specific Leg Muscle Weakness on a Lifting Task

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Abstract

This study investigated the use of EMG biofeedback to simulate weakened rectus femorii and gastrocnemii muscles during the performance of a lifting task. Eight healthy women performed 15 kg free-style lifts from floor level. Three conditions were tested: unconstrained lifting, lifting with rectus femorii activity volitionally limited bilaterally through EMG biofeedback to less than 45% of maximal EMG activity, and lifting with the gastrocnemii limited to a similar level. Limiting leg muscle activity through biofeedback led to an alteration of lifting strategy, with resulting performance variables (joint angles and torques, angular velocities, center of pressure excursion, and segment coordination) comparing favorably with those from lifting trials performed by six women with moderate leg muscle weaknesses. The data indicate that EMG biofeedback can be used to simulate the effects of leg muscle weakness during these lifts, providing a new tool to study the biomechanics of muscle weakness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Trina Buhr, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55432

    Trina A. Buhr, Don B. Chaffin & Bernard J. Martin

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  1. Trina A. Buhr
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  2. Don B. Chaffin
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  3. Bernard J. Martin
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Buhr, T.A., Chaffin, D.B. & Martin, B.J. EMG Biofeedback as a Tool for Simulating the Effects of Specific Leg Muscle Weakness on a Lifting Task. J Occup Rehabil 9, 247–265 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021379601775

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