ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC SIGNAL FREQUENCY-ANALYSIS IN EVALUATING MUSCLE FATIGUE OF PATIENTS WITH PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL-DISEASE

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients are commonly classified on the basis of subjective evaluations of pain and fatigue. Surface elect romyography (EMG) is an objective method for studying peripheral muscl e fatigue. Fifteen patients with PAD and 15 healthy volunteers matched for age and sex were studied. Surface EMG was recorded over the media l gastrocnemius during 100 seconds at 60% of maximal effort. EMG trace s were analyzed off-line to obtain the power spectrum. The median freq uency was calculated in the first 30 seconds (T0) and between 70 and 1 00 seconds (T1). Significantly lower T1 values, compared with T0, were found in both the PAD and the control groups (p < .005; p < .05). T0 values were not different between groups, whereas T1 values were signi ficantly lower in PAD patients (p < .01). EMG frequency analysis can b e considered an easy, painless method providing objective information on muscular performance and fatigue in PAD patients. (C) 1994 by the A merican Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy o f Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation