Heat Treatment and Rest-Inserted Exercise Enhances EMG Activity of the Lower Limb

Prolonged immobilization leads to significant weakness and atrophy of the skeletal muscle and can also impair the recovery of muscle strength following injury. Therefore, it is important to minimize the period under immobilization and accelerate the return to normal activity. This study examined the effects of heat treatment and rest-inserted exercise on the muscle activity of the lower limb during knee flexion/extension. Twelve healthy subjects were assigned to 4 groups that included: (1) heat treatment + rest-inserted exercise; (2) heat + continuous exercise; (3) no heat + rest-inserted exercise; and (4) no heat + continuous exercise. Heat treatment was applied for 15 mins prior to exercise. Continuous exercise groups performed knee flexion/extension at 0.5 Hz for 300 cycles without rest whereas rest-inserted exercise groups performed the same exercise but with 2 mins rest inserted every 60 cycles of continuous exercise. Changes in the rectus femoris and hamstring muscle activities were assessed at 0, 1, and 2 weeks of treatment by measuring the electromyography signals of isokinetic maximum voluntary contraction. Significant increases in both the rectus femoris and hamstring muscles were observed after 2 weeks of treatment only when both heat treatment and rest-inserted exercise were performed. These results suggest that combination of various treatment techniques, such as heat treatment and rest-inserted exercise, may expedite the recovery of muscle strength following immobilization.

Authors:

• Jae Kyun Bang
• Sung Jae Hwang
• Chang Yong Ko
• Chi Hyun Kim

Keywords:

• Electromyography
• Heat Treatment
• Muscle
• Rest-Inserted Exercise.

References:

[1] P. Kannus, J. Parkkari, and S. Niemi, "Age-adjusted incidence of hip
fractures," Lancet, vol. 346, pp. 50-51, 1995.
[2] J. Magaziner, E. M. Simonsick, T. M. Kashner, J. R. Hebel, and J. E.
Kenzora, "Predictors of functional recovery one year following hospital
discharge for hip fracture: a prospective study," J. Gerontol., vol. 45, pp.
M101-107, 1990.
[3] B. Gutin and M. J. Kasper, "Can vigorous exercise play a role in
osteoporosis prevention? A review," Osteoporos. Int., vol. 2, pp. 55-69,
1992.
[4] M. J. Jarvinen and M. U. Lehto, "The effects of early mobilisation and
immobilisation on the healing process following muscle injuries," Sports
Med., vol. 15, pp. 78-89, 1993.
[5] A. Ishihara, F. Kawano, X. D. Wang, and Y. Ohira, "Responses of
neuromuscular systems under gravity or microgravity environment," Biol
Sci Space, vol. 18, pp. 128-129, 2004.
[6] E. J. Stevenson, P. G. Giresi, A. Koncarevic, and S. C. Kandarian, "Global
analysis of gene expression patterns during disuse atrophy in rat skeletal
muscle," J Physiol, vol. 551, pp. 33-48, 2003.
[7] T. A. Jarvinen, M. Kaariainen, M. Jarvinen, and H. Kalimo, "Muscle
strain injuries," Curr. Opin. Rheumatol., vol. 12, pp. 155-161, 2000.
[8] C. F. Lindboe and C. S. Platou, "Effect of immobilization of short
duration on the muscle fibre size," Clin. Physiol., vol. 4, pp. 183-188,
1984.
[9] D. P. Johnson and D. M. Eastwood, "Beneficial effects of continuous
passive motion after total condylar knee arthroplasty," Ann. R. Coll. Surg.
Engl., vol. 74, pp. 412-416, 1992.
[10] W. J. Maloney, D. J. Schurman, D. Hangen, S. B. Goodman, S. Edworthy,
and D. A. Bloch, "The influence of continuous passive motion on
outcome in total knee arthroplasty," Clin Orthop Relat Res, vol., pp.
162-168, 1990.
[11] C. W. Colwell, Jr. and B. A. Morris, "The influence of continuous passive
motion on the results of total knee arthroplasty," Clin Orthop Relat Res,
vol., pp. 225-228, 1992.
[12] K. G. Vince, M. A. Kelly, J. Beck, and J. N. Insall, "Continuous passive
motion after total knee arthroplasty," J. Arthroplasty, vol. 2, pp. 281-284,
1987.
[13] D. W. Romness and J. A. Rand, "The role of continuous passive motion
following total knee arthroplasty," Clin Orthop Relat Res, vol., pp. 34-37,
1988.
[14] P. A. Ververeli, D. C. Sutton, S. L. Hearn, R. E. Booth, Jr., W. J. Hozack,
and R. R. Rothman, "Continuous passive motion after total knee
arthroplasty. Analysis of cost and benefits," Clin Orthop Relat Res, vol.,
pp. 208-215, 1995.
[15] P. Bettica, G. Cline, D. J. Hart, J. Meyer, and T. D. Spector, "Evidence for
increased bone resorption in patients with progressive knee osteoarthritis:
longitudinal results from the Chingford study," Arthritis Rheum., vol. 46,
pp. 3178-3184, 2002.
[16] D. J. Hunter and T. D. Spector, "The role of bone metabolism in
osteoarthritis," Curr Rheumatol Rep, vol. 5, pp. 15-19, 2003.
[17] N. E. Lane and M. C. Nevitt, "Osteoarthritis, bone mass, and fractures:
how are they related?," Arthritis Rheum., vol. 46, pp. 1-4, 2002.
[18] D. R. Taaffe, C. Duret, S. Wheeler, and R. Marcus, "Once-weekly
resistance exercise improves muscle strength and neuromuscular
performance in older adults," J. Am. Geriatr. Soc., vol. 47, pp. 1208-1214,
1999.
[19] J. E. Graves, M. L. Pollock, S. H. Leggett, R. W. Braith, D. M. Carpenter,
and L. E. Bishop, "Effect of reduced training frequency on muscular
strength," Int. J. Sports Med., vol. 9, pp. 316-319, 1988.
[20] J. T. Tucci, D. M. Carpenter, M. L. Pollock, J. E. Graves, and S. H.
Leggett, "Effect of reduced frequency of training and detraining on
lumbar extension strength," Spine, vol. 17, pp. 1497-1501, 1992.
[21] H. Akima, K. Kubo, M. Imai, H. Kanehisa, Y. Suzuki, A. Gunji, and T.
Fukunaga, "Inactivity and muscle: effect of resistance training during bed
rest on muscle size in the lower limb," Acta Physiol. Scand., vol. 172, pp.
269-278, 2001.
[22] S. J. Warden and C. H. Turner, "Mechanotransduction in the cortical bone
is most efficient at loading frequencies of 5-10 Hz," Bone, vol. 34, pp.
261-270, 2004.
[23] C. H. Kim, E. Takai, H. Zhou, D. von Stechow, R. Muller, D. W.
Dempster, and X. E. Guo, "Trabecular bone response to mechanical and
parathyroid hormone stimulation: the role of mechanical
microenvironment," J. Bone Miner. Res., vol. 18, pp. 2116-2125, 2003.
[24] D. M. Pincivero and R. M. Campy, "The effects of rest interval length and
training on quadriceps femoris muscle. Part I: knee extensor torque and
muscle fatigue," J. Sports Med. Phys. Fitness, vol. 44, pp. 111-118, 2004.
[25] D. M. Pincivero, S. M. Lephart, and R. G. Karunakara, "Effects of rest
interval on isokinetic strength and functional performance after short-term
high intensity training," Br. J. Sports Med., vol. 31, pp. 229-234, 1997.
[26] L. L. Ploutz, P. A. Tesch, R. L. Biro, and G. A. Dudley, "Effect of
resistance training on muscle use during exercise," J. Appl. Physiol., vol.
76, pp. 1675-1681, 1994.
[27] N. N. Batra, Y. J. Li, C. E. Yellowley, L. You, A. M. Malone, C. H. Kim,
and C. R. Jacobs, "Effects of short-term recovery periods on fluid-induced
signaling in osteoblastic cells," J. Biomech., vol. 38, pp. 1909-1917, 2005.
[28] A. G. Robling, D. B. Burr, and C. H. Turner, "Partitioning a daily
mechanical stimulus into discrete loading bouts improves the osteogenic
response to loading," J. Bone Miner. Res., vol. 15, pp. 1596-1602, 2000.
[29] V. J. Robertson, A. R. Ward, and P. Jung, "The effect of heat on tissue
extensibility: a comparison of deep and superficial heating," Arch. Phys.
Med. Rehabil., vol. 86, pp. 819-825, 2005.
[30] T. J. Noonan, T. M. Best, A. V. Seaber, and W. E. Garrett, Jr., "Thermal
effects on skeletal muscle tensile behavior," Am. J. Sports Med., vol. 21,
pp. 517-522, 1993.
[31] T. Strickler, T. Malone, and W. E. Garrett, "The effects of passive
warming on muscle injury," Am. J. Sports Med., vol. 18, pp. 141-145,
1990.
[32] K. Goto, R. Okuyama, H. Sugiyama, M. Honda, T. Kobayashi, K. Uehara,
T. Akema, T. Sugiura, S. Yamada, Y. Ohira, and T. Yoshioka, "Effects of
heat stress and mechanical stretch on protein expression in cultured
skeletal muscle cells," Pflugers Arch., vol. 447, pp. 247-253, 2003.