title: Prediction of muscular architecture of the rectus femoris and vastus lateralis from EMG during isometric contractions in soccer players.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the study was to establish regression equations that could be used to predict muscle thickness and pennation angle at different intensities from electromyography (EMG) based measures of muscle activation during isometric contractions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Simultaneous ultrasonography and EMG were used to measure pennation angle, muscle thickness and muscle activity of the rectus femoris and vastus lateralis muscles, respectively, during graded isometric knee extension contractions performed on a Cybex dynamometer. Data form fifteen male soccer players were collected in increments of approximately 25% intensity of the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) ranging from rest to MVC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant correlation (P < 0.05) between ultrasound predictors and EMG measures for the muscle thickness of rectus femoris with an R(2) value of 0.68. There was no significant correlation (P > 0.05) between ultrasound pennation angle for the vastus lateralis predictors for EMG muscle activity with an R(2) value of 0.40.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The regression equations can be used to characterise muscle thickness more accurately and to determine how it changes with contraction intensity, this provides improved estimates of muscle force when using musculoskeletal models.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK.
authors.forename: Bhawesh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.forename: Maher A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hamzeh
authors.forename: Antonio I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Cuesta-Vargas
keywords: Electromyography; Isometric contraction; Muscle thickness; Pennation angle; Rectus femoris; Sonomyography; Vastus lateralis