title: Electromyography for assessment of pain in low back muscles.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pain is currently evaluated with "subjective" methods (eg, patient self-report). This study aimed to test whether fatigue indexes are able to accurately discriminate between subjects with and subjects without low back pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty subjects separated into 2 groups--a group with low back pain (n=30) and a group without low back pain (n=30)--participated in this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electromyographic (EMG) and force data were obtained during a muscle fatigue test. The same test was repeated to monitor recovery. Linear regression analysis was used to obtain fatigue indexes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects with pain produced significantly lower force values than those without pain. The use of fatigue indexes and force values permitted accurate classification in 89.5% of cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results confirm that subjects with pain show early myoelectrical manifestations of muscle fatigue and that EMG can be a useful tool in the evaluation of low back pain.
authors.affiliation: Curso de Educação Física, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cláudia Tarragô
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Candotti
authors.forename: Jefferson Fagundes
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Loss
authors.forename: Ana Maria Steffens
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pressi
authors.forename: Flávio Antonio de Souza
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: La Torre
authors.forename: Mônica de Oliveira
authors.initials: Mde O
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: Lucas Dutra
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: Maicon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pasini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D018763:Muscle Fatigue; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement