Cain Rachel Mariël, Stanford Kate, Drum Marti, Richards Jim, Levine David, Millis Darryl, Ursini Tena
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, TN, United States.
Allied Health Research Unit, University of Lancashire, Lancashire, United Kingdom.
Front Vet Sci. 2025 Aug 29;12:1649009. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1649009. eCollection 2025.
Shoulder pathologies are a common reason for presentation to veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation practices. Currently there are no standardized rehabilitation protocols for shoulder injuries but controlled walking, either on flat ground or on inclines/declines, is recommended in nearly every recovery rehabilitation program. The objective of this study was to evaluate the peak and average muscle activity of commonly targeted forelimb muscle groups using fine-wire and surface electromyography (EMG) during treadmill walking at five treadmill positions. Our hypothesis was that the forelimb muscle activity would be significantly higher during decline walking than level walking and significantly lower during incline walking.
Fine-wire and surface EMG of the supraspinatus, deltoideus, biceps brachii and lateral head of the triceps brachii muscles were performed during treadmill walking at 0, 5% incline, 10% incline, 5% decline, and 10% decline. The average and peak muscle enveloped EMG signals for 10 gait cycles were compared between the treadmill positions.
Significant main effects were seen during decline walking for average supraspinatus muscle activity ( < 0.001), and both average and peak deltoideus muscle activity ( = 0.021, < 0.001) respectively. There were no significant differences for peak or average lateral triceps brachii or biceps brachii activity between treadmill positions.
Decline walking significantly increases muscle activity in the supraspinatus and deltoideus muscles of dogs. This study provides new insights regarding the muscle activity of the thoracic limbs in dogs during various treadmill positions at the walk. The impact of incremental treadmill positions on the average supraspinatus EMG activity, along with increases in the average and peak EMG activity of the deltoideus muscle during decline walking should be considered when developing a therapeutic exercise plan in canine patients with shoulder injuries.
肩部疾病是兽医运动医学和康复治疗中常见的就诊原因。目前尚无针对肩部损伤的标准化康复方案，但几乎每个康复计划都建议在平地或斜坡上进行控制性行走。本研究的目的是使用细针电极和表面肌电图（EMG）评估在跑步机五个位置行走时常用的前肢肌肉群的峰值和平均肌肉活动。我们的假设是下坡行走时前肢肌肉活动显著高于平路行走，而上坡行走时则显著低于平路行走。
在跑步机分别以0、5%坡度上升、10%坡度上升、5%坡度下降和10%坡度下降行走时，对冈上肌、三角肌、肱二头肌和肱三头肌外侧头进行细针电极和表面肌电图检查。比较了不同跑步机位置10个步态周期的平均和峰值肌肉包络肌电图信号。
下坡行走时，冈上肌平均肌肉活动（<0.001）以及三角肌平均和峰值肌肉活动（分别为=0.021，<0.001）均有显著的主效应。跑步机不同位置之间，肱三头肌外侧头或肱二头肌的峰值或平均活动无显著差异。
下坡行走显著增加犬类冈上肌和三角肌的肌肉活动。本研究为犬类在跑步机不同位置行走时胸肢的肌肉活动提供了新的见解。在为肩部受伤的犬类患者制定治疗性运动计划时，应考虑跑步机位置增加对冈上肌平均肌电图活动的影响，以及下坡行走时三角肌平均和峰值肌电图活动的增加。
