Arsenault A B, Winter D A, Marteniuk R G
Am J Phys Med. 1986 Feb;65(1):1-16.
In gait studies, minor importance has been generally given to the aspect of symmetry. Consequently, an unstated assumption has been that the right and left legs present symmetrical outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to verify this assumption throughout the use of electromyographic (EMG) profiles of activity from the two legs during gait. Eight subjects participated in the study. Two muscles, the soleus and rectus femoris, were recorded from both legs using surface electrodes. Foot switches placed under each heel served to indicate the gait cycles (N = 10) that were recorded per subject. The EMG signal was transformed into a linear envelope through full-wave rectification and filtering using second order low-pass filters (6 Hz). These envelopes were transformed in amplitude in percent of a maximum voluntary contraction (% MVC). These were digitized (50 Hz) and the sample points used to perform regression analyses contrasting left and right (homologus) muscles. Coefficients of correlation between the EMG linear envelopes of the homologous muscles showed high correlations and thus nearly identical shape. However important differences in EMG amplitude between the legs were found. Implications of these findings for future research in gait are discussed.
在步态研究中，对称性方面通常未被给予足够重视。因此，一直存在一个未明确表述的假设，即左右腿呈现对称的结果。本研究的目的是通过在步态过程中使用双腿活动的肌电图（EMG）数据来验证这一假设。八名受试者参与了该研究。使用表面电极记录了双腿的两块肌肉，即比目鱼肌和股直肌。置于每个脚跟下方的足部开关用于指示每个受试者记录的步态周期（N = 10）。EMG信号通过全波整流和使用二阶低通滤波器（6Hz）进行滤波转换为线性包络。这些包络的幅度转换为最大自主收缩的百分比（%MVC）。对这些数据进行数字化处理（50Hz），并使用样本点进行回归分析，对比左右（同源）肌肉。同源肌肉的EMG线性包络之间的相关系数显示出高度相关性，因此形状几乎相同。然而，发现双腿之间的EMG幅度存在重要差异。讨论了这些发现对未来步态研究的意义。
