title: Influence of various forms of physical exercise on bioelectric activity of quadriceps femoris muscle. Pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent years have seen a dynamic development of treatment methods targeting the knee joint region. Surgical interventions are becoming increasingly less invasive, being at the same time ever more diverse, which offers the patients possibility of living their lives without any limitations. This is being made possible thanks to diagnostic progress and advances in bioengineering. A rehabilitation programme has to be tailored to the chosen method of treatment, to each patient, his/her lifestyle and expectations. The objective of the present study is to evaluate various forms of physical activity used in rehabilitation following knee surgery with regard to the electrical activity of the quadriceps femoris muscle.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group was composed of 28 healthy adults (13 men and 15 women) aged 21 to 29 years. The participants were asked to perform 17 kinesiotherapeutic activities that are most commonly administered in the rehabilitation of patients following knee surgery. During the exercises, percutaneous EMG (sEMG) traces were obtained for the vastus medialis (VM) and vastus lateralis muscle (VL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Activity of the quadriceps femoris muscle was highest during isometric exercises performed in extension. Similar activity levels were noted during isometric exercises against resistance applied to the adductor and abductor muscles. Equally high values were obtained during open kinetic chain exercises.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study revealed that the exercises under investigation were useful in postoperative rehabilitation following knee surgery. Isometric exercises performed with the knee in extension and possibly with resistance applied to the adductor and abductor muscles of the hip are the most effective in the early postoperative phase because they generate only minor loads.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. bro ni kow skia dam@wp.pl
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bronikowski
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kłoda
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lewandowska
authors.forename: Magda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamińska
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stolarczyk
authors.forename: Jarosław
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deszczyński
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D010865:Pilot Projects; D052097:Quadriceps Muscle / Q000502:physiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome