Author/Editor		Minetto, Marco A.; Botter, Alberto; Šprager, Sebastijan; Agosti, Fiorenza; Patrizi, Alessandra; Lafranco, Fabio; Sartorio, Alessandro
Title		Feasibility study of detecting surface electromyograms in severely obese patients
Type		članek
Vol. and No.		Letnik 23, št. 2
Publication year		2013
Volume		str. 285-295
ISSN		1050-6411 - Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology
Language		eng
Abstract		The aims of this study were to examine if surface EMG signals can be detected from the quadriceps femoris muscle of severely obese patients and to investigate if differences exist in quadriceps force and myoelectric manifestations of fatigue between obese patients and lean controls. Fourteen severely obese patients (body mass index, BMI, mean SD: 44.9 6.3 kg/m2) and fourteen healthy controls (BMI: 23.7 2.5 kg/m2) were studied. The vastusmedialis and lateralis of the dominant thigh were concurrently investigated during voluntary isometric contractions (10-s long at submaximal and maximal intensities and intermittent submaximal contractions until exhaustion) and sustained (120-s long) electrically elicited contractions. Wefound that the detection of surface EMG signals from the quadriceps is feasible also in severely obese subjects presenting increased thickness of thesubcutaneous fat tissue. In addition, we confirmed and extended previous findings showing that the volume conductor properties determine the amplitude and spectral features of the detected surface EMG signals: the lower the subcutaneous tissue thickness, the higher the amplitude and mean frequency estimates. Further, we found no differences in the mechanical and myoelectric manifestations of fatigue during intermittent voluntary and sustained electrically elicited contractions between obese patients and lean controls.
Keywords		bioelectric impendance analysis neuromuscular electrical stimulation quadriceps muscle subcutaneous fat layer surface EMG