Department of Biomedical Engineering, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, 02841, Korea.
Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 26;14(1):25504. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-77369-8.
Muscle atrophy due to prolonged immobilization leads to severe dysfunction and progression of disease and injury. This highlights the necessity for early rehabilitation, even during the non-ambulatory stages. As manifestations vary among individuals, target-specific rehabilitation is crucial for achieving optimal outcomes. Conventional bicycle ergometers, despite their wide usage in rehabilitation and sports training, fail to adequately recruit the muscles that predominantly operate in the coronal or axial plane. This is thought to be due to the restriction of pedaling trajectory in the sagittal plane. This study introduces a new bicycle ergometer capable of tilting the pedaling plane and adjusting the pedal orientation, in order to alter muscle recruitment patterns and limb alignments. A biomechanical analysis of eight healthy volunteers suggests that our device can elicit dynamic valgus/varus alignment and alter the axial rotations of the lower extremities. An electromyography analysis revealed a significant increase in the activation of specific muscle groups, particularly the abductors and adductors, suggesting promising results for targeted muscle recruitment. We expect this ergometer to provide a new method for target-specific rehabilitation and the treatment of bedridden patients or those with weak muscles.
由于长时间固定不动导致的肌肉萎缩会导致严重的功能障碍和疾病、损伤的恶化。这凸显了早期康复的必要性，即使在非步行阶段也是如此。由于个体表现各异，针对特定目标的康复对于实现最佳效果至关重要。尽管传统的自行车功量计在康复和运动训练中广泛使用，但它们不能充分募集主要在冠状面或额状面起作用的肌肉。这被认为是由于在矢状面限制了踏车轨迹。本研究介绍了一种新型的自行车功量计，它可以倾斜踏车平面并调整脚踏的方向，从而改变肌肉募集模式和肢体对齐。对 8 名健康志愿者的生物力学分析表明，我们的设备可以引起动态的内翻/外翻对齐，并改变下肢的轴向旋转。肌电图分析显示，特定肌肉群的激活显著增加，特别是外展肌和内收肌，这表明针对特定肌肉募集的治疗有很大的潜力。我们预计这种功量计将为特定目标的康复以及治疗卧床不起的患者或肌肉无力的患者提供一种新方法。
