Surface electromyography: A pilot study in canine spinal muscles.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Neurology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• InterVertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) is common in dogs, often causing spinal cord injuries (SCI) with pain and motor deficits.
• Current rehabilitation lacks objective tools to monitor animal patient progress.
• Chondrodystrophic breeds are particularly susceptible to IVDD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce surface ElectroMyoGraphy (sEMG) as an objective assessment tool for canine rehabilitation.
• To analyze muscle activation patterns in dogs with IVDD undergoing rehabilitation.
• To correlate sEMG findings with the progression of neurological deficits.

Main Methods:

• Developed rigorous protocols for animal preparation and sEMG signal acquisition.
• Recorded sEMG data during multiple exercises and sub-movements.
• Analyzed sEMG signals using Root Mean Square Amplitude (RMSA) for variability.

Main Results:

• Identified unusual muscle activation patterns in dogs with IVDD, linked to nerve compression.
• Observed decreased sEMG amplitude and increased frequency in the pathological group.
• RMSA proved a more representative metric for sEMG amplitude variability.

Conclusions:

• sEMG is a promising, objective tool for evaluating rehabilitation in dogs with IVDD and SCI.
• Changes in sEMG signals reflect muscle denervation and motor unit loss.
• This approach can significantly improve the monitoring of patient recovery and treatment efficacy.