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. 2023 Apr 3:10:20556683231164339.
doi: 10.1177/20556683231164339. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.

A non-volitional skeletal muscle endurance test measures functional changes associated with impaired blood flow

Kyle J Brandenberger  1 , Chris L Rawdon  2 , Erica Armstrong  1 , Jacob Lonowski  1 , Lakee'dra Cooper  1
Affiliations

A non-volitional skeletal muscle endurance test measures functional changes associated with impaired blood flow

Kyle J Brandenberger et al. J Rehabil Assist Technol Eng. .

Abstract

Introduction: An electrically stimulated intermittent fatigue test using mechanomyography was recently proposed as a possible tool for detecting clinically relevant changes in muscle function. This study was designed to determine whether the proposed test can detect additional fatigue when it should be present. Methods: Subjects (n = 10) underwent two trials each (occluded and normal blood flow) with a standardized fatigue protocol on the Ankle Dorsiflexors (AD) and Wrist Extensors (WE) using a clinical electrical stimulator. Results: Mean normalized twitch acceleration was strongly predictive of mean normalized torque (R 2 = 0.828). The WE experienced lower twitch magnitudes throughout the tourniquet trial (10.81 ± 1.25 m/s2) compared to normal blood flow (18.05 ± 1.06 m/s2). The AD twitches were overall reduced in the tourniquet trial (3.87 ± 0.48 m/s2) compared with the control trial (8.57 ± 0.91 m/s2). Conclusion: Occluding blood flow to a muscle should cause greater muscle fatigue. The ability to detect reduced contraction magnitudes during an electrically stimulated fatigue protocol resulting from low blood flow suggests the proposed test may be capable of detecting clinically relevant muscle deficits.

Keywords: blood flow restriction; electrical stimulation; fatigue; mechanomyography; skeletal muscle.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Electrode placement for (a) WE and (b) AD.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
(a) Contraction magnitude over entire protocol. (b) Contraction magnitude of a single twitch. (c) The minimum acceleration is subtracted from the peak acceleration of each twitch giving us the magnitude of acceleration for a given twitch. These are plotted over time to visualize how twitch acceleration is changing throughout the protocol.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Scatterplot of mean normalized torque values and mean normalized acceleration for the three stimulation frequencies (2 Hz, 4 Hz, 6 Hz).
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Mean contraction magnitude height for each stimulation period for tourniquet versus control for (a) AD and (b) WE. Mean twitch height for each stimulation period for WE versus AD are shown for (c) control and (d) tourniquet trials. Significant effects denoted with (*). Significant group effects denoted with (†) when interaction was not significant.
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