Estimation of Muscle Fatigue of Low Back upon the Muscle Stiffness

An estimation of muscle fatigue is very important study and many laboratory researchers had done actively in this field. The excellent measurement and analysis methods, however, have not established yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the muscle fatigue of low back, caused by sitting on the vehicle seat for a long time. The muscle viscoelasticity and the EMG (Electromyogram) were measured. The authors proposed the objective muscle fatigue index that was obtained from the result of PCA (Principal Component Analysis) by using the measured varlables. The objective muscle fatigue index suggests an adequate correlation with the subjective fatigue on the vehicle seat

Transient Displacement Response to Pulse Excitations on Periodontal Tissues

In the field of dental study it is most fundamental and necessary to estimate the condition of periodontium. In order to examine a mechanical characteristics of periodontium, the theoretical displacement response to periodontal mechanical model (three elements model) are strictly solved in case of some pulse excitations. Impact excitations (rectangular, triangular and half-cycle sine pulse) are given in physical and mathematical definitions and complete solutions to the impact excitations are provided. The triangular pulse excitation which is obtained by means of a fracture of pencil-lead is most suitable. The mechanical parameters of periodontium are given using this input excitation. This is experimentally confirmed by artificial tooth model. The obtained mechanical characteristic of the periodontal tissues can be applied to clinical diagnosis

Estimation of muscle fatigue by using EMG and muscle stiffness

This study aims at the measurement and estimation of muscle fatigue. Viscoelasticity is calculated from the biomechanical impedance spectrum and EMG is measured. When isometric and isotonic muscle fatigue are created in the forearm, elasticity, viscosity and IEMG increase, and MNF decreases. Each variable change rate, however, is different in order to estimate muscle fatigue synthetically, PCA is calculated by using viscoelasticity and EMG. As a result, it is suggested that the 1st component expresses a change in muscle stiffness and the 2nd component expresses objective fatigue. The slope of the approximation line seems to correspond to the degree of muscle fatigue</p

Measurement of Emotional Response by Similarity in Patterns of Galvanic Skin Reflex

There is no doubt that many people feel the peace of mind or the pleasures of senses in appreciating music. But the estimation of the effect is very difficult and the objective estimation can be hardly done. This study proposed the objective estimating method of human emotion utilizing galvanic skin reflex (GSR) which reflects a human psychological activity. In this method, not by individual response, but by the series of response and pattern of appearance of GSR, the emotional response under appreciating music was investigated. In the case of appreciation of the same classic music to several subjects, the individual GSR responses are random and remarkable characteristic could not be find on the results. However, on the patterns of appearance of GSR, the patterns obtaining from the same generation are much similar each other and the patterns obtaining from different generation are less similar. It was cleared that the same music gave different effect on different generations

Measurement System of Biomechanical Properties for Portable Use

It is difficult to evaluate a biomechanical properties quantitatively. The authors developed the measurement system of biomechanical properties formerly but it is on a large scale because of the use of personal computer. In this study, the portable measurement system of biomechanical impedance/mobility is developed. To establish a rapid measurement, a random vibration is adopted in input signal. The system consists of the measuring probe, amplifier, and a note-typed personal computer. The measurement probe is developed newly, and has an overall length of 9 ㎝ (without a handle) and a total weight of about 500 g. The measurement program is also developed and is available to any computer which is worked under MS DOS compatible in Windows 95/98 operating system. The biomechanical spectra of thigh, temple and forehead are obtained and they show three typical spectrum patterns

Measurement of Biomechanical Impedance - Its device and measuring conditions

Biomechanical impedance is relatively small compared to industrial mechanical impedance. Thus it is difficult to measure it precisely. A biomechanical impedance measuring system was developed for portable use by means of random excitation. This system doesn't require a fixed body and vibrator supporting apparatus. In order to obtain an impedance spectrum, the FFT processing is performed using a personal computer. The spectra of the biomechanical impedance which is measured on body surfaces depend on body positions and can be roughly classified into three spectra patterns : soft, stiff and intermediate. During the measurement, the measuring conditions (preload, diameter of the vibrating tip etc.) influence the results. However, it became clear that the linearity of the biomechanical impedance was satisfied in the limited measuring conditions. Accordingly it is possible to standardize the impedance and to compare it with the results under different measuring conditions

Estimation of Loosening of Knee Joint Prosthesis

Knee replacement arthroplasty is indicated for the patient with advanced knee pain, knee deformation, and knee functional disorder. The aim of this study was to estimate loosening after a knee replacement arthroplasty. Loosening is measured by a frequency response function, and mobility by random vibration. The modal parameters for the knee joint are obtained by applying a modal analysis to the frequency response function. The values decrease as the knee joint prosthesis loosened. These parameters serve as an index for the condition between a thighbone and the prosthesis. The various indexes will greatly clarify the stage of advance in the loosening of knee-joint prostheses

Acousticmyogram Measured with Electrosimulation During Muscle Fatigue

The acousicmyogram (AMG) is a mechanical phenomenon recorded at the surface of an active muscle. It is used to monitor force production, fatigue, and contractile properties of muscle. In this study, the new electrode with accelerometer for electrostimulation and acoustic detection. It consists of Ag-AgCl active electrode and solid-gel annular groud, and a very light piezoresistive accelerometer. The recorded AMG waveform depends on the pulse amplitude and duration of stimulation current and its lag from the electroatimulation is about 7 ms. The strengh-duration (S-D) curve (the threshold current for stimulation vs. pulse duration) describes the excitability of muscle. The left forearm is electrostimulated by using the same electrode and the muscle vibration (AMG) is recorded with accelerometer. During the muscle fatigue, the S-D curve changes and the current threshold increases under the same pulse duration. The rheobase of S-D curve increases gradually but the chronaxie hardly changes during muscle fatigue

Estimation of Body Structure by Biomechanical Impedance

In the stiffness evaluation from the skin surface, the body structure under the skin, like a bone and muscle, influences on the measurement results. The authors developed the measurement system of biomechanical impedance with applying a vibration of acoustic frequency onto the body surface. We measured the viscoelasticity of the silicone-gel model, which involves metal blocks, from the gel surface by using this system. The internal structure of model is estimated from the relation between the viscoelasticity and the distance from the gel surface to the internal block. Applying this method, the shape of ribs of the right chest are estimated. The shapes and viscoelasticity of silicone-gel tumor model, which has two different tumors, are also estimated

Correction of Apparent Viscoelasticity of Skin Surface

The body structures under the skin surface, such as bones and tendon, have an influence on the stiffness evaluation observed from the surface. In this case, the observed stiffness should be called an apparent stiffness. To obtain the biomechanical properties of skin itself, the influence of body structure should be removed. This study deals with the correction method of apparent viscoelasticity which calculated from apparent biomechanical impedance. This method is applied to the measured result of the forearm and the right chest to confirm its effectiveness