Technology Research Center, University of Mogi das Cruzes, (UMC), Brazil.
Biomed Phys Eng Express. 2024 Nov 28;11(1). doi: 10.1088/2057-1976/ad8ce2.
Postural balance is crucial for daily activities, relying on the coordination of sensory systems. Balance impairment, common in the elderly, is a leading cause of mortality in this population. To analyze balance, methods like postural adjustment analysis using electromyography (EMG) have been developed. With age, women tend to experience reduced mobility and greater muscle loss compared to men. However, few studies have focused on postural adjustments in women of different ages using EMG of the lower limbs during laterolateral and anteroposterior movements. This gap could reveal a decrease in muscle activation time with aging, as activation time is vital for postural adjustments. This study aimed to analyze muscle activation times in women of different ages during postural adjustments. Thirty women were divided into two groups: young and older women. A controlled biaxial force platform was used for static and dynamic balance tests while recording lower limb muscle activity using EMG. Data analysis focused on identifying muscle activation points and analyzing postural adjustment times. Results showed significant differences in muscle activation times between the two groups across various muscles and platform tilt conditions. Younger women had longer muscle activation times than older women, particularly during laterolateral platform inclinations. In anteroposterior movements, older women exhibited longer activation times compared to their laterolateral performance, with fewer differences between the groups. Overall, older women had shorter muscle activation times than younger women, suggesting a potential indicator of imbalance and increased fall risk.
姿势平衡对于日常活动至关重要，依赖于感觉系统的协调。平衡障碍在老年人中很常见，是该人群死亡率的主要原因。为了分析平衡，已经开发出了使用肌电图（EMG）进行姿势调整分析等方法。随着年龄的增长，女性与男性相比，移动能力下降，肌肉损失更大。然而，很少有研究关注使用 EMG 分析不同年龄段女性在侧向和前后向运动中的姿势调整。这种差距可能揭示了随着年龄的增长肌肉激活时间的减少，因为激活时间对于姿势调整至关重要。本研究旨在分析不同年龄段女性在姿势调整过程中的肌肉激活时间。30 名女性被分为两组：年轻女性和老年女性。使用双轴力平台进行静态和动态平衡测试，同时使用 EMG 记录下肢肌肉活动。数据分析集中在识别肌肉激活点和分析姿势调整时间上。结果表明，在不同肌肉和平台倾斜条件下，两组之间的肌肉激活时间存在显著差异。年轻女性的肌肉激活时间比老年女性长，特别是在侧向平台倾斜时。在前后向运动中，老年女性的激活时间比侧向运动长，两组之间的差异较小。总的来说，老年女性的肌肉激活时间比年轻女性短，这可能是平衡失衡和跌倒风险增加的一个潜在指标。
