title: Evoked EMG and muscle fatigue during isokinetic FES-cycling in individuals with SCI.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated whether muscle fatigue during functional electrical stimulation (FES)-induced cycling was associated with changes occurring in evoked electromyographic signals (eEMG, M-waves) in individuals with spinal cord injury. We also explored the effects of recovery intervals between exercise sessions on the relationship between eEMG and muscle torque.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight individuals with spinal cord injury performed three FES-cycling sessions of 15-min duration, with 5 min of recovery between them. The quadriceps muscles were electrically stimulated as the prime agonist to produce cycling. Pedal torques and surface eEMG signals were synchronously processed and recorded for offline analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Large Torque decreases (20-44%) were observed in the first 5 min of cycling during the three exercise bouts, while changes of similar magnitude did not occur on any of the M-wave time-series (less than 19%). Between 5 and 15 min of cycling, muscle fatigue lowered the plateau baselines of Torque (ranging from 41% to 62%), M-wave peak-to-peak amplitude (PtpA) and Area (ranging from 60% to 98%) time-series, yet the magnitudes of these reductions were not consistent between them.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We concluded that muscle fatigue during FES-cycling was not associated with, nor could be predicted by, eEMG signals. Nonetheless, the consistency between M-waves and Torque time-curves in their direction of change clearly warrants further investigation.
authors: Clinical Exercise and Rehabilitation Unit, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors: Eduardo H
authors: EH
authors: Estigoni
authors: Ché
authors: C
authors: Fornusek
authors: Richard M
authors: RM
authors: Smith
authors: Glen M
authors: GM
authors: Davis
mesh_terms: D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D004576:Electromyography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015915:Motion Therapy, Continuous Passive; D018763:Muscle Fatigue / Q000502:physiology*; D052097:Quadriceps Muscle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*