A preliminary evaluation of surface electromyography as a tool to measure muscle fatigue in the National Hunt racehorse
Abstract
Electromyography is a performance evaluation tool commonly employed to assess efficacy of training and rehabilitation regimens in humans (Hanon et al, 2005). However limited research has been conducted in the horse and most studies that have been published have been restricted to the laboratory environment (Peham et al, 2001; Peham and Schobesberger, 2006; Licka et al, 2009; Zsoldos et al, 2010). Surface electromyography (sEMG) systems are now available which can assess muscle activity by measuring motor unit action potentials (MUAP) in ‘real-time’ via telemetric monitoring thus facilitating objective analysis of equine performance and training practices outside of the laboratory. Analysis of sEMG data can be used to establish onset and offset of muscle contraction and also determine muscle performance via analysis of signal amplitude (a measure of magnitude of MUAP) (Hanon et al, 1998; Hanon et al, 2005; Richards, 2008). Analysis of the mean EMG frequency (mEMGF) can provide an objective measure of fitness levels (Duc et al, 2005; Hikari et al, 2006) while a left shift in the median EMG frequency (MeEMGF) over time can indicate fatigue during isometric testing (Hanon et al, 2005).
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting The Veterinary Nurse and reading some of our peer-reviewed content for veterinary professionals. To continue reading this article, please register today.