Abstract
Cowan SM, Bennell KL, Hodges PW, Crossley KM, McConnell J. Delayed onset of electromyographic
activity of vastus medialis obliquus relative to vastus lateralis in subjects with
patellofemoral pain syndrome. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2001;82:183-9. Objective: To determine whether electromyographic (EMG) onsets of vastus medialis obliquus (VMO)
and vastus lateralis (VL) are altered in the presence of patellofemoral pain syndrome
(PFPS) during the functional task of stair stepping. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: University laboratory. Patients: Thirty-three subjects with PFPS and 33 asymptomatic controls. Interventions: Subjects ascended and descended a set of stairs—2 steps, each 20-cm high—at usual
stair-stepping pace. EMG readings of VMO and VL taken on middle stair during step
up (concentric contraction) and step down (eccentric contraction). Main Outcome Measures: Relative difference in onset of surface EMG activity of VMO compared with VL during
a stair-stepping task. EMG onsets were determined by using a computer algorithm and
were verified visually. Results: In the PFPS population, the EMG onset of VL occurred before that of VMO in both the
step up and step down phases of the stair-stepping task (p <.05). In contrast, no such differences occurred in the onsets of EMG activity of
VMO and VL in either phase of the task for the control subjects. Conclusion: This finding supports the hypothesized relationship between changes in the timing
of activity of the vastimuscles and PFPS. This finding provides theoretical rationale
to support physiotherapy treatment commonly used in the management of PFPS.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
May 9,
2000
Received in revised form:
May 9,
2000
Footnotes
☆Supported by grants from the Physiotherapy Research Foundation and the Victorian Branch of the Australian Physiotherapy Association.
☆☆No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors or upon any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.
★Reprints requests to Sallie M. Cowan, School of Physiotherapy, University of Melbourne, 200 Berkeley St, Carlton, Vic, 3010, Australia, e-mail: [email protected]
Identification
Copyright
© 2001 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
