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Detection of surface-EMG activity from the extensor digitorum brevis muscle in healthy children walking
Francesco Di Nardo1,2, Annachiara Strazza1, Michela Sara Palmieri3
1Department of Information Engineering, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy.
Insights
This study characterized extensor digitorum brevis (EDB) muscle activation during children's walking. Findings reveal a common EDB activity pattern, aiding in distinguishing normal from abnormal gait in pediatric populations.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Gait Analysis
Background:
- Understanding lower limb muscle function during gait is crucial for pediatric motor development.
- The extensor digitorum brevis (EDB) muscle's role in walking, particularly in children, is not fully elucidated.
- Establishing normative data for dynamic muscle activation is essential for clinical assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the activation patterns of the extensor digitorum brevis (EDB) muscle in healthy children during walking.
- To characterize the typical EDB muscle behavior across the gait cycle in a pediatric population.
- To establish a reference pattern for dynamic EDB electromyography in children.
Main Methods:
- Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to record EDB muscle activity in 23 healthy children.
- Statistical gait analysis was performed on hundreds of strides per subject.
- Comparative analysis included sEMG data from tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) muscles.
Main Results:
- Significant variability in EDB activation number, frequency, and timing was observed across strides.
- A consistent EDB activation pattern was identified, occurring in the late stance phase (100% of subjects) and late swing phase (50%).
- EDB and TA muscles acted antagonistically at the ankle, while EDB and GL muscles acted synergistically.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first 'Normality' pattern for dynamic EDB sEMG in healthy children, accounting for physiological variability.
- The identified EDB activation pattern offers a baseline for differentiating physiological and pathological gait in children.
- These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of gait maturation and neuromuscular control in pediatric populations.
Objective:
The purpose of the study was the assessment of activation patterns of the extensor digitorum brevis (EDB) muscle in healthy children, during walking at self-selected speed and cadence.
Approach:
To this end, statistical gait analysis was performed on surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals of the EDB, in a large number (hundreds) of strides per subject. sEMG data from the tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) were also investigated for comparative purposes.
Main Results:
Results from 23 healthy children showed a large variability in the number of muscle activations, occurrence frequency, and onset-offset instants across considered strides. The assessment of different modalities of muscle activation allowed the identification of a single activity pattern, common to all the modalities and we were able to characterize the behavior of the EDB during the gait of healthy children. The pattern of EDB activity centered in two main regions of the gait cycle: in the second half of the stance phase (detected in 100% of subjects) and in the final swing phase (50%). Comparison with the TA and GL regions of activity suggested that the EDB and TA worked mainly as antagonist muscles for the ankle joint, while the EDB and GL did not oppose each other in action, but acted in synergy for the control of the ankle joint during walking.
Significance:
The 'Normality' pattern for the EDB activity reported here represents the first attempt to develop a reference for dynamic sEMG of the EDB in healthy children, enabling us to include the physiological variability of the phenomenon. Present results could be useful for discriminating physiological and pathological behavior in children and for deepening the maturation of the gait.
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