Cuesta-Vargas (2020) Muscle Activation and Distribution during Four Test/Functional Tasks: A Comparison between Dry-Land and Aquatic Environments for Healthy Older and Young Adults
In short: This 2020 study measured muscle activity with surface electromyography in 14 healthy young and 14 healthy older adults while they performed four functional tasks on dry land and in water. The distribution of muscle activity was completely different in water: on land the leg muscles contributed most, in water the trunk muscles took on a larger share.
About this study
Cuesta-Vargas and colleagues carried out an analytical cross-sectional study at a community health center. Healthy young adults (18–35 years, mean 22) and healthy older adults (over 60, mean 72.6) performed Step Up and Down, Sit to Stand, Gait Initiation and Turns During Gait, both on dry land and in water. Eight muscle groups of the trunk, thigh and leg were measured with waterproofed surface electromyography, and test-retest reliability was calculated.
Main findings
- On dry land, the lower limb muscles generally made the largest contribution to the tasks; in water, the trunk muscles increased their share.
- Within the same environment, young and older adults differed significantly in three of the four tasks (Sit to Stand, Turn During Gait and Step Up).
- During Gait Initiation there were hardly any differences between the age groups, except for the soleus and tibialis anterior.
- Measurement stability ranged from good to excellent.
The authors conclude
The authors conclude that muscle involvement during functional tasks has an entirely different distribution on dry land and in water, and that the relative activation and distribution of the muscles also differ between older and young adults.
Limitations
The sample was small (28 volunteers) and joint angles were not measured during the tasks.
Source
Cuesta-Vargas A, Martín-Martín J, Pérez-Cruzado D, Cano-Herrera CL, Güeita Rodríguez J, Merchán-Baeza JA, González-Sánchez M. Muscle Activation and Distribution during Four Test/Functional Tasks: A Comparison between Dry-Land and Aquatic Environments for Healthy Older and Young Adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020;17(13):4696. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17134696. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence.
