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Updated: Dec 11, 2025
Acquisition and Semi-Automated Analysis of Respiratory Muscle Surface Electromyography
Published on: January 24, 2025
Pattern of respiratory muscle activity during exercise tests in children born prematurely
Josy Davidson1, Sabrina Pinheiro Tsopanoglou1, Victor Zuniga Dourado2
1Neonatal Division, Department of Pediatrics, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Insights
Preterm children show greater sternocleidomastoid muscle activity during high-intensity exercise compared to term children. This suggests a different respiratory muscle contribution to exercise capacity in this population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Exercise Physiology
- Respiratory Muscle Function
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Preterm children exhibit near-normal exercise capacity despite early cardiopulmonary issues, questioning the role of respiratory muscles.
- Understanding respiratory muscle contribution is key to explaining exercise capacity in preterm populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare respiratory muscle activity during an exercise test in preterm and term children.
- Investigate the influence of respiratory muscles on exercise capacity in children born prematurely.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study comparing 35 term and 39 preterm children (6-9 years old, birth weight <1500g).
- Utilized an adapted treadmill incremental test with surface electromyography of sternocleidomastoid (SCM), upper trapezius (UT), and rectus abdominis (RA) muscles.
- Analyzed muscle activity using root mean square and area under the curve, with Monte Carlo simulation.
Main Results:
- Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle activity was significantly higher in preterm children compared to term children.
- No significant differences were observed in upper trapezius (UT) or rectus abdominis (RA) muscle activity between the groups.
Conclusions:
- The sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle plays a greater role in exercise performance for preterm children during high-intensity exercise.
- Findings suggest differential respiratory muscle recruitment patterns influencing exercise capacity in preterm individuals.
Introduction:
Preterm children display only slightly lower exercise capacity than term children do during their development, despite their previous cardiopulmonary impairments. This raises doubts about the role of the respiratory muscles' influence on exercise capacity. This study aimed to compare respiratory muscle activity in preterm and term children using an exercise test.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study involved comparison of 35 term children and 39 matched preterm children aged 6-9 years, who were born prematurely with a birth weight <1500 g. An adapted treadmill incremental test was utilized and surface electromyography of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), upper trapezius (UT), and rectus abdominis (RA) muscles was performed. The root mean square was calculated every minute and compared between and within groups. A Monte Carlo simulation was also applied, and the area under the curve was calculated to evaluate the differences between groups.
Results:
During the entire exercise, the SCM muscle activity was higher in preterm children with a larger area under the curve than in the term children. There was no difference in the RA and UT muscle activity between groups throughout the test.
Conclusion:
The results suggest a greater contribution of the SCM muscle sin preterm children's performance than in term children's performance during high-intensity exercises.
Trial Registration:
Brazilian Clinical Trial Registry (ReBec) - RBR-89hr2h.
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