Abstract
Kramer M, Ebert V, Kinzl L, Dehner C, Elbel M, Hartwig E. Surface electromyography
of the paravertebral muscle in patients with chronic low back pain.
Objective
To investigate the differences in the electromyographic signals of patients with chronic
low back pain (CLBP) and healthy subjects.
Design
Cross-sectional study with a matched-pair design.
Setting
University hospital.
Participants
Thirty-one patients with CLBP and 31 healthy, matched-pair controls.
Interventions
The mean rectified surface electromyographic amplitude and muscle strength were measured
during maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). During an endurance test at 60% of MVC,
the electromyographic parameters of the 2 groups were compared.
Main outcome measure
Electromyographic measuring of local fatigue, which can be described with changes
in the median frequency or by a different parameter of the power spectrum called frequency
banding.
Results
The strength measurement revealed a deficiency of 40% in the patients and a deficit
in the electromyographic amplitude of approximately 60%, compared with the control
group. By pairwise comparison, the decrease in the median frequency during the endurance
test was greater in the control group. In the frequency banding of the power spectrum,
local fatigue was less pronounced in the CLBP patients in pairwise comparison.
Conclusions
The back muscles of CLBP patients appear to be less fatigable than those of controls.
The results can be explained by morphologic changes, but influences such as pain,
avoidance of pain, and deconditioning, need to be considered when the results are
assessed.
Keywords
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Article info
Footnotes
☆Supported by the Research Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Ulm, Germany.
☆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(s) or upon any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.
Identification
Copyright
© 2005 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
