Assessing Quadriceps Muscle Contraction Using a Novel Surface Mechanomyography Sensor during Two Neuromuscular...

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics and Motor Control
• Wearable Sensor Technology
• Rehabilitation Engineering

Background:

• Electromyography (EMG) is the gold standard for measuring muscle activation but has limitations in dynamic tasks.
• Surface mechanomyography (sMMG) offers a wearable alternative to capture muscle excursion.
• Assessing neuromuscular control is crucial for injury prevention, rehabilitation, and training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the ability of sMMG sensors to detect muscle contraction timing patterns against EMG.
• To evaluate the reliability of sMMG for quantifying muscle performance metrics.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous data collection using EMG and sMMG sensors on the quadriceps during bilateral deep squats.
• Data capture during repeated unilateral partial squats in a subset of participants.
• Analysis of contraction duration, and eccentric/concentric phases, and sMMG reliability.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found between sMMG and EMG in total contraction duration during bilateral or partial squats.
• sMMG and EMG timing did not differ significantly for eccentric and concentric phases.
• sMMG demonstrated excellent intra-session reliability for quadriceps excursion magnitude.

Conclusions:

• sMMG sensors accurately capture muscle contraction timing and provide reliable performance metrics.
• sMMG is a viable, wearable technology for assessing neuromuscular control during dynamic activities.
• This technology has potential applications in injury prevention, rehabilitation, and exercise training.