Delayed fatigue in finger flexion forces through transcutaneous nerve stimulation
Abstract
Weakness of the hand is a major impairment which limits independent living. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a common approach to help restore muscle strength. Traditional NMES directly over the muscle often leads to a rapid onset of muscle fatigue. In this study, we investigated the force sustainability of finger flexor muscles using a transcutaneous nerve stimulation approach. Finger flexion forces and high-density electromyogram (HD EMG) signals were obtained while electrical stimulation was applied to the ulnar and median nerve bundles through a stimulation grid on the proximal arm segment. Stimulation was also applied to the finger flexor muscle belly targeting the motor point, serving as a control condition. The force produced from the two stimulation approaches were initially matched, and muscle fatigue was subsequently induced with 5 min of continuous stimulation. The rate of decay of the force and EMG amplitude were quantified, and the spatial distribution of the muscle activation during the sustained contraction was also evaluated. The proximal nerve stimulation approach induced a slower decay in both force and EMG, compared with the stimulation at the motor point. The spatial distribution of the elicite...Continue Reading
References
Citations
Muscle activation pattern elicited through transcutaneous stimulation near the cervical spinal cord.
Related Concepts
Related Feeds
Brain-Computer Interface
A brain-computer interface, also known as a brain-machine interface, is a bi-directional communication pathway between an external device and a wired brain. Here is the latest research on this topic.