Stiffness of resting lumbar myofascia in healthy young subjects quantified using a handheld myotonometer and concurrently with surface electromyography monitoring

Kalyani Nair; Alfonse T Masi; Brian J Andonian; Alexander J Barry; Brandon A Coates; John Dougherty; Emily Schaefer; Jacqueline Henderson; Joseph Kelly

doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2015.12.005

Stiffness of resting lumbar myofascia in healthy young subjects quantified using a handheld myotonometer and concurrently with surface electromyography monitoring

J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2016 Apr;20(2):388-96. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2015.12.005. Epub 2015 Dec 24.

Authors

Kalyani Nair¹, Alfonse T Masi², Brian J Andonian³, Alexander J Barry⁴, Brandon A Coates⁵, John Dougherty⁶, Emily Schaefer⁷, Jacqueline Henderson⁸, Joseph Kelly⁹

Affiliations

¹ Mechanical Engineering, Bradley University, Peoria, IL 61625, USA. Electronic address: knair@bradley.edu.
² University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria, IL 61656, USA. Electronic address: amasi@uic.edu.
³ University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria, IL 61656, USA. Electronic address: bandon2@uicomp.uic.edu.
⁴ Mechanical Engineering, Bradley University, Peoria, IL 61625, USA. Electronic address: abarry@mail.bradley.edu.
⁵ Mechanical Engineering, Bradley University, Peoria, IL 61625, USA. Electronic address: bcoates@mail.bradley.edu.
⁶ Mechanical Engineering, Bradley University, Peoria, IL 61625, USA. Electronic address: jpdougherty@mail.bradley.edu.
⁷ Mechanical Engineering, Bradley University, Peoria, IL 61625, USA. Electronic address: eschaefer@mail.bradley.edu.
⁸ Mechanical Engineering, Bradley University, Peoria, IL 61625, USA. Electronic address: jhenderson@bradley.edu.
⁹ Department of Physical Therapy, Bradley University, Peoria, IL 61625, USA. Electronic address: jpkelly@bradley.edu.

PMID: 27210858
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2015.12.005

Abstract

This study aimed to non-invasively quantify passive stiffness of superficial myofascia at a lower lumbar (L3-L4) anatomical level in young healthy male and female subjects and investigate its possible morphological variation. Resting prone lumbar myofascial measurements were quantified using MyotonPro(®) and statistically analyzed in 20 young healthy individuals over 3-weekly intervals, concurrently with surface electromyography (sEMG). Averaged mean ± SE stiffness (Newton/meter) over three weeks was significantly (p < 0.001) greater in males (247.8 ± 11.3) than females (208.4 ± 11.3), on the right (237.7 ± 12.8) than left sides (218.5 ± 12.3), at 10-min (231.4 ± 9.1) than initial baseline (224.8 ± 9.1) values. A polymorphism of stiffness values in 10 male and 10 female subjects was suggested by box plot analyses of the 3 weekly measurements and greater inter-individual than intra-individual variances. Greater knowledge of lumbar myofascial stiffness can improve understanding of their contributions in health and chronic low back disorders.

Keywords: Biomechanics; Lumbar; Myofascial stiffness; MyotonPro; Passive property; Surface electromyography.

MeSH terms

Adult
Electromyography
Female
Humans
Lumbosacral Region / physiopathology*
Male
Muscle, Skeletal / physiopathology*
Myofascial Pain Syndromes / physiopathology*
Physical Therapy Modalities
Prone Position / physiology*
Rest / physiology*
Sex Factors
Young Adult