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Biomedical subjects

M Lamontagne

Publications and source records attributed to M Lamontagne.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

In vivo anterior cruciate ligament strain behaviour during a rapid deceleration movement: case report.

The mechanism of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is still unclear. To gain this insight, knowledge of the mechanical behaviour of the healthy ACL during activities that may stress the ligament must be investigated in vivo. The goal of this research was to measure ACL strain in vivo during rapid deceleration, a sport type movement that has been previously shown to precede injuries to the ACL in healthy subjects. A young male subject with no previous knee joint injuries volunteered after informed consent. The strain gauge device (DVRT) was calibrated and surgically implanted in the antero-medial band of the intact ACL. The subject was then transported to the lab for data collection. The zero strain position of the ACL was determined using the slack-taut technique. The subject hopped as quickly as possible from a distance of 1.5 m to the target, an X taped at the centre of a force plate, landing with the instrumented left leg and stopping in the landed position. The entire collection window was five seconds at 1000 Hz. A total of three rapid deceleration trials were collected and averaged over the hop cycle. The slack-taut test was then repeated to ensure proper operation of the DVRT and the reliability of the results. The results showed an average peak strain of the ACL during the instrumented Lachman test of 2.00+/-0.17%. The average peak strain of the ACL during the rapid deceleration task was 5.47+/-0.28%. The data indicate that the RD task caused an increase in peak ACL strain that is much higher than during the instrumented Lachman test, and that the strain begins to increase during the flight phase, prior to landing, and reaches a peak that corresponds to the peak ground reaction force. This technique may be used in further sport-specific movements to gain insight into movement patterns associated with ACL injury mechanisms.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Methodological concerns using intra-cortical pins to measure tibiofemoral kinematics.

The complexity of human tibiofemoral joint motion is now better understood with the advancement of new methodologies to measure tibiofemoral kinematics in vivo. Marker clusters anchored to stainless steel bone pins inserted directly into the femur and tibia provide the most sensitive and accurate means for directly measuring skeletal tibiofemoral joint motion. Despite its invasiveness, this technique has been successful, although complications have been reported with the femoral pin and its insertion site. The purpose of this technical report is twofold: to review the difficulties with the femoral pin and its insertion site from a historical perspective, and to identify the load force required from biological tissue to permanently deform the pin. In addition, proposals in the advancement of this method are discussed in the context of reducing impingement with the femoral pin and the Iliotibial band. Because stainless steel exhibits plastic behaviour with no sharp yield point, Apex self-drilling/self-tapping bone pins underwent incremental loading on an Instron materials testing machine. Loads were transmitted perpendicular to the pin with the threads partially exposed and fully secured in vice. Since the accuracy of our combined stereophotogrammetry and Optoelectric motion analysis was less than 0.4 mm, it was decided that plastic deformation occurred after deflections of 0.4 mm. With exposed threads, deflections larger than 0.4 mm were observed at 150 N and 100 N when loads were applied at 15 mm and 20 mm from the vice (representative of where the tissue came in contact with the pin). Loads greater than 200 N produced deflections less than 0.2 mm when threads were fully inserted. The 90 Hz resonant frequency for the marker cluster-bone pin complex is beyond the spectrum of human movement and can be lowpass filtered. To reduce impingement and pin bending, one solution may be to implant pins with a shorter threaded section. By completely penetrating the bone, only the smooth surface of the pin is exposed which is more resistant to bending. Otherwise pins with larger diameters and longer longitudinal incisions about the femoral insertion site are an alternative. Lengthening the longitudinal incisions about the insertion site, and correctly aligning and inserting the femoral pin between the Iliotibial band and quadriceps tendon may diminish impingement. Performing dynamic open chain flexion and extension movements while on the operating table may aid in aligning the pin at the incision site. This may stretch the IT band and quadriceps tendon and may guide the femoral pin into a more optimal position prior to it being inserted into the cortex of the bone.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed2003

The clinical significance of electromyography normalisation techniques in subjects with anterior cruciate ligament injury during treadmill walking.

This study investigated the clinical interpretation of three electromyographic (EMG) normalisation techniques to detect neuromuscular alterations in patients diagnosed with anterior cruciate ligament knee injury during treadmill walking. The EMG signal was normalised using the mean value during the gait cycles (MEA), the maximum value during the gait cycles (MAX), and a maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVC) test in 16 male and female subjects. The MAX method detected an increase in total muscle activity in the injured limb rectus femoris (11.6%; P=0.02) while the MVC method detected decreased injured limb gastrocnemius medialis (GM) overall muscle activity (34.4%; P=0.02). The MAX method identified decreased GM activity in three portions of the gait cycle. This study indicates the importance of choosing the appropriate normalisation technique since its choice will change outcome measures and subsequent clinical interpretation.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Assessment of functional knee bracing: an in vivo three-dimensional kinematic analysis of the anterior cruciate deficient knee.

OBJECTIVE: To describe three-dimensional tibial and femoral movements in vivo and examine the effect of a brace on knee kinematics during moderate to intense activity. DESIGN: Skeletal kinematics of anterior cruciate ligament deficient knees was measured with and without braces during moderate to intense activity. BACKGROUND: Invasive markers implanted into the tibia and femur are the most accurate means to directly measure skeletal motion and may provide a more sensitive measure of the differences between brace conditions. METHODS: Steinmann traction pins were implanted into the femur and tibia of four subjects having a partial or complete anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Non-braced and braced conditions were randomly assigned and subjects jumped for maximal horizontal distance to sufficiently stress the anterior cruciate ligament. RESULTS: Intra-subject peak vertical force and posterior shear force were generally consistent between conditions. Intra-subject kinematics was repeatable but linear displacements between brace conditions were small. Differences in angular and linear skeletal motion were observed across subjects. Bracing the anterior cruciate ligament deficient knee resulted in only minor kinematic changes in tibiofemoral joint motion. CONCLUSION: In this study, no consistent reductions in anterior tibial translations were observed as a function of the knee brace tested. Relevance. Investigations have reported that knee braces fail when high loads are encountered or when load is applied in an unpredictable manner. Questions remain regarding tibiofemoral joint motion, in particular linear displacements. The pin technique is a means for direct skeletal measurement and may provide a more sensitive measure of the differences between brace conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Effects of speaking rate on the control of vocal fold vibration: clinical implications of active and passive aspects of devoicing.

Stevens (1991) has suggested that, while speakers control glottal apertures in producing consonants, the buildup of intraoral pressure during an oral closure creates decreases in transglottal flow, which can, in itself, reduce or halt vocal fold vibrations. The object of this study was to determine whether speakers can take advantage of such pressure effects in controlling the voicing attributes of intervocalic stops. Intraoral pressure, vocal fold vibration (Lx portions of electroglottograms), and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the orbicularis oris inferior were monitored for 6 subjects while they produced at "slow," "normal," and "fast" speaking rates utterances containing intervocalic stops /p/ and /b/. Product-moment correlations between the intervocalic pressure rises and the amplitude contour of Lx showed strong negative relationships at normal-to-fast rates of speech. However, this relationship was not maintained at slower rates, where decreases in the amplitude of Lx sometimes occurred before the onset of EMG activity in the labial adductor. The findings suggest that, at normal-to-fast rates of speech, speakers can use the passive effects of pressure in controlling vocal fold vibration for stop consonants.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Reliability of EMG spectral parameters in repeated measurements of back muscle fatigue.

The change in median frequency of the power spectrum of the electromyographic (EMG) signal may be used as a measure of muscle fatigue. The reliability of the median frequency parameters was investigated for EMG-recording sites at L1 and L5 right and left on the erector spinae. The reliability of subjective fatigue ratings of the back muscles (Borg CR-10 scale) and of maximal trunk extension torque (MVC) was also investigated. Eleven subjects with healthy backs performed a 45-s isometric trunk extension at 80% of MVC twice a day, on three different days. Two-factor analysis of variance was made to obtain the different variances from which the standard error of measurement (SEM) and the intra class correlation coefficient (ICC) were calculated. The SEM within-day was somewhat lower than that between-days. Both were about the same at all four electrode sites. The 95% confidence interval for the studied variables was for the initial median frequency +/- 10 Hz, for the slope +/- 0.4-0.5%/s, for the MVC +/- 36 Nm and for the Borg ratings +/- 1.6. We conclude that, with the presently used method, changes or differences within these limits should be regarded as normal variability. The slope may be of limited value because of its large variability. Whether the low intraclass correlation coefficient for the EMG parameters in the presently studied test group implies a low potential in discriminating subjects with back pain can not be decisively concluded.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

The role of the lateral pterygoid muscles in TMJ disorders during static conditions.

Intramuscular EMG of the lateral pterygoid muscles (LPM), surface EMG of the temporalis and masseter muscles and force measurements of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) were synchronously used to investigate the biomechanical role of the two heads of the LPM in relation to internal derangement (ID) of the TMJ. EMG and kinetic analysis of five static conditions (resting, protraction, opening, molar and incisor clenching) and three maximum isometric masticatory forces (opening, molar and incisor clenching) were done to compare forces and muscular activity between TMJ ID and control subjects. The analysis of variance results of the integrated linear envelope (LE) EMG showed no significant differences between the two groups for the masseter and temporalis muscles. Therefore, there is no apparent reason to believe that these muscles are hyperactive in TMJ ID. The integrated LE EMG of the SLP was significantly lower in the TMJ group during molar clenching (104 microV + 60.0 over 159 microV + 68.8 for a p = .020). The superior head of the lateral pterygoid muscle (SLP) seemed to have lost its diskal stabilizing function. The integrated LE EMG signals of the ILP were significantly higher in the TMJ ID group during rest, resisted protraction and incisor clenching (p = .029, p = .046, p = .031 respectively). The ILP muscle has probably adapted to control the inner joint instability while continuing its own actions. The ILP muscle seemed to have lost its functional specificity. The results of the isometric forces showed that TMJ ID subjects exhibited significantly lower molar bite forces (297.1N over 419N, p = .042) confirming that they have less muscle strength and tissue tolerance than subjects with healthy masticatory muscle systems. A neuromuscular adaptation could be occurring in the TMJ ID masticatory system affecting muscular actions and forces.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1997

Electromyographic analysis of muscle fatigue in anterior cruciate ligament deficient knees.

The aim of this study was to detect possible differences in muscle fatigue and recovery of knee flexor and extensor muscles in patients with a deficient anterior cruciate ligament compared with patients with a normal anterior cruciate ligament. Surface electromyography of 15 patients with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency was performed while the muscles were under 80% of maximum isometric contraction, and after 1, 2, 3, and 5 minutes of rest. During the first 60 seconds of contraction, all muscles recorded significantly decreased mean power frequency and increased amplitude. The rate of decrease of mean power frequency was significantly greater in the injured quadriceps and normal hamstrings. All muscles except two recovered to the initial mean power frequency level after 1 minute of rest. All but two muscles in the injured and normal limb recorded an overshoot of mean power frequency during the recovery phase. This overshoot phenomenon also was seen for some muscles in the amplitude analysis. The findings confirm the fatigue state in all the muscles, suggest recruitment of more Type II fibers as the muscle fatigues, and show the physiologic adaptation of the quadriceps and hamstrings to anterior cruciate ligament insufficiency. The current study indirectly shows a dissociation between low intramuscular pH and mean power frequency during the recovery phase. It also indirectly suggests that the atrophied thigh muscles have fiber type composition similar to that of the normal side.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1997

An experimental in vivo method for analysis of local deformation on tibia, with simultaneous measures of ground reaction forces, lower extremity muscle activity and joint motion.

This paper presents the pilot procedures of a new in vivo experimental method for measures of local bone deformation on tibia. The tibia transducer consists of a strain gauge mounted on a surgical staple, and was designed to measure local bone deformation. Pilot measurements were undertaken during two standardized conditions of forefoot and heel landing in seven healthy volunteers. Implantation of two tibia force transducers on tibia were performed under local anaesthesia. The local peak tibia deformation occurred at 20-42 ms (median) after ground contact, and was up to eight times higher during stance phase loading compared with standing still on one leg. Ground reaction forces, muscle activation patterns and kinematics were registered simultaneously, and were used to validate that the observed local deformation on tibia occurred under controlled and clinically relevant conditions. The new method may be used for investigating local deformation within various bone structures of the lower extremity. There are further methodological issues to address before major clinical interpretations may be concluded. In order to verify that the strain gauge transducer system was valid, a controlled displacement of the staple shanks was performed with a micrometer, and showed a linear relationship between applied deformation and strain gauge response (r = 0.97-0.99). In addition, a linear relationship was found between externally applied static forces and strain gauge response in a four-point bending cadaver system (r = 0.96-0.98).

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Mechanical behaviour of hamstring muscles in low-back pain patients and control subjects.

The purpose of this study was to measure and compare the passive elastic moment, the stiffness and the damping coefficient of the hip joint, as functions of the hip and knee joint angles in men with and without low-back pain. Two conventional tests, the straight-leg-raising test and the trunk forward flexion, were also performed and compared between these subjects. The passive elastic moment was measured using an isokinetic device in the passive mode. This device raised the lower limb from the horizontal position to the straight-leg-raising angle at a slow and constant angular velocity. A custom-made splint connected with the lever arm of the isokinetic device maintained the knee in extension and the ankle in the neutral position. The damping coefficient of the hip joint was measured for 0, 15, 45, 60, 75 and 90% of straight leg raising angle of each subject, using the suspension method based on small oscillation theory. To ensure that muscles were inactive during the passive hip moment tests, muscle activity was monitored with surface EMG. The stiffness was computed as the ratio of the change in passive elastic moment to the change in the hip angle. The passive elastic moment, the stiffness and the normalized trunk flexion were significantly different between the two groups respectively. There was, however, no difference between the two groups in the results of straight-leg-raise and damping coefficient of the hip. The passive elastic moment was a nonlinear function of the hip flexion angle and showed large intersubject differences, especially as the joint limit was approached. The damping coefficient was a polynomial function of the hip flexion angle. The measured variables were analysed using a discriminant function and it was shown that the two groups were clearly discriminable in a meaningful manner.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Passive knee muscle moment arms measured in vivo with MRI.

OBJECTIVE: To determine moment arm lengths from seven knee muscles and the patellar tendon. The knee muscles were the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus, gracilis, sartorius, and the lateral and medial gastrocnemius muscles. DESIGN: The moment arms were calculated based on MRI measurements. BACKGROUND: Moment arm lengths of different muscles with respect to the joint centre of rotation (CR) or the centre of the contact point between joint surfaces are necessary basic data for biomechanical models predicting joint load. METHODS: Ten male and seven female subjects participated. Using a 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging system, 3-dimensional coordinates of relevant points were recorded from a 3-D volume reconstruction of the right knee at knee flexion angles of 0, 30 and 60 degrees. Muscular moment arms were calculated in both the sagittal and frontal planes. The recordings were all made during passive mode, which means that no muscular contraction was performed. RESULTS: All muscles except the lateral gastrocnemius showed statistically significant differences (P<0.05) of moment arm lengths between gender in the frontal plane. All muscles except biceps femoris and sartorius showed significant differences (P<0.05) of moment arm lengths between gender in the sagittal plane. Most muscles also showed a linear or quadratic trend of changing moment arms with varying knee angle. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that for most biomechanical analyses involving knee muscles, gender- and angle-specific moment arms should be used.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Net shoulder joint moment and muscular activity during light weight-handling at different displacements and frequencies.

The purpose of this study was to calculate net shoulder (gleno-humeral) joint moments from inverse dynamics and to measure muscular activity from six shoulder muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, middle deltoid, anterior deltoid, trapezius, and pectoralis major) during light weight-handling at two different displacements (horizontal and vertical) and frequencies (40 and 60 cycles/min), to simulate an occupational cervicobrachial working task (light weight displacement). Ten normal adult male subjects were asked to move a known weight, representing 15% of the maximal lifted weight, in both horizontal and vertical conditions at frequencies of 40 cycles/min and 60 cycles/min. Raw EMG signals from six shoulder muscles were recorded and synchronized with the cinematographic data during three trials of 6 s each. The raw EMG signals of each muscle were full wave rectified and filtered at 3 Hz. The linear envelope (LE EMG) signals were normalized by time (% cycle) and by amplitude (% MVC), and for the analysis of variance, the normalized LE EMG signals were integrated (IN LE EMG). The average shoulder angular velocities, joint moments, and moment powers were computed from cinematographical data. No significant differences were observed between both tasks for the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and pectoralis major IN LE EMG data as well as for integrated normalized shoulder joint moment for the whole cycle of movement. IN LE EMG data from middle deltoid, anterior deltoid, and trapezius muscles were significantly higher (p less than 0.05) when performing the vertical displacement task for the whole cycle of movement. This muscular activity difference between vertical and horizontal tasks indicated that the vertical displacement conditions induced higher muscular loads on the shoulder than the horizontal weight displacement conditions, although the vertical displacements were approximately 15% longer than the horizontal displacements. The non-significant difference of IN LE EMG between frequencies obtained for all muscles indicated that neither frequencies induced more muscular activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Biomechanical analysis of wheelchair propulsion for various seating positions.

The pattern of propulsion was investigated for five male paraplegics in six seating positions. The positions consisted of a combination of three horizontal rear-wheel positions at two seating heights on a single-purpose-built racing wheelchair. To simulate wheelchair propulsion in the laboratory, the wheelchair was mounted on high rotational inertia rollers. For three trials at each seating position, the subjects propelled the designed wheelchair at 60 percent of their maximal speed, which was determined at the beginning of the test session. At each trial, the propulsion technique of the subject was filmed at 50 Hz with a high-speed camera for one cycle, and the raw electromyographic (EMG) signal of the biceps, brachii, triceps brachii, pectoralis major, deltoid anterior, and deltoid posterior muscles were simultaneously recorded for three consecutive cycles. The digitized film data were used to compute the angular kinematics of the upper body, while the EMG signals were processed to yield the linear envelope (LE EMG) and the integrated EMG (IEMG) of each muscle. The kinematic analysis revealed that the joint motions of the upper limbs were smoother for the Low positions-since they reached extension in a sequence (wrist, shoulder, and elbow), when compared to the High positions. Also, the elbow angular velocity slopes were found to be less abrupt for the Backward-Low position. It was observed that in lowering the seat position, less IEMG was recorded and the degrees of contact were lengthened. Among the seat positions evaluated, the Backward-Low position had the lowest overall IEMG and the Middle-Low position had the lowest pushing frequency. It was found that a change in seat position caused more variation in the IEMG for the triceps brachii, pectoralis major, and deltoid posterior. The trunk angular momentum was not found to be affected by a change in seat position which may be related to the variability among the subject's technique of propulsion or to a posture compensation.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

A technique for the determination of center of gravity and rolling resistance for tilt-seat wheelchairs.

A balance platform setup was defined for use in the determination of the center of gravity in the sagittal plane for a wheelchair and patient. Using the center of gravity information, measurements from the wheelchair and patient (weight, tire coefficients of friction), and various assumptions (constant speed, level-concrete surface, patient-wheelchair system is a rigid body), a method for estimating the rolling resistance for a wheelchair was outlined. The center of gravity and rolling resistance techniques were validated against criterion values (center of gravity error = 1 percent, rolling resistance root mean square error = 0.33 N, rolling resistance Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.995). Consistent results were also obtained from a test dummy and five subjects. Once the center of gravity is known, it is possible to evaluate the stability of a wheelchair (in terms of tipping over) and the interaction between the level of stability and rolling resistance. These quantitative measures are expected to be of use in the setup of wheelchairs with a variable seat angle and variable wheelbase length or when making comparisons between different wheelchairs.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1990

Comparisons between surface electrodes and intramuscular wire electrodes in isometric and dynamic conditions.

The purpose of this study was to compare EMG surface electrodes (SE) and intramuscular wire electrodes (IWE) for isometric and dynamic contractions during an occupational cervico-brachial working task (OCWT). Six normal adult male subjects were tested on two days (two conditions with three trials each). Raw EMG signals from middle deltoid, anterior deltoid and trapezius muscles were recorded by both IWE and SE for two conditions (isometric and dynamic contractions). Full wave rectified and low pass filtered EMG, and integrated EMG were processed from raw EMG signals. The statistical analysis performed on the integrated EMG was a factorial analysis model with repeated measures. Statistical results confirmed that EMG signals, from both SE and IWE, are reliable between trials on the same day. These statistical results also confirmed that SE are more reliable than IWE on day-to-day investigations. Both electrodes recorded statistically similar signals, although the coefficient of variability between electrodes was very high (STDE%; 48% and 84%, for isometric and dynamic conditions respectively).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Fully automated analytical system using liquid-solid extraction and liquid chromatography for the determination of CGP 6140 in plasma.

Liquid-solid extraction on disposable extraction columns (DECs) and liquid chromatography can be combined in a completely automated analyser. The Gilson ASPEC system was used to develop a procedure for the determination of CGP 6140 in plasma. Both sample preparation via C8 Bond-Elut DECs and injection were fully automatic. The fully automated system prepared the samples by performing the same operations as for a manual procedure. The DEC was first wetted with methanol, then with water. A 400-microliters volume of plasma and 40 microliters of the internal standard solution, diluted with 1 ml of water, were applied to the DEC, rinsed with 10(-2) mol/l dipotassium hydrogenphosphate and eluted from the DEC with 300 microliters of acetonitrile-methanol (50:50, v/v). The eluting strength of the eluate was reduced by dispensing 1 ml of water into each vial prior to direct injection into a Spherisorb ODS column via a 1-ml loop. This allowed the reconcentration of the extracted compounds on the top of the column, as they were injected in a large volume of solvent of lower eluting strength than the mobile phase [acetonitrile-methanol-4 x 10(-3) mol/l ammonia solution (54.5:5:40.5, v/v/v)]. Reproducibility results are presented.

Chemical Phenomena↗
PubMed1983

[Development, evaluation and application of a dynamometric system of skates].

The present paper accounts for the elaboration validation and application of a dynamometric system device for ice skates that allows measurements of the forces and the point of application of their resultant on the blade during ice skating. The dynamometric system was built using strain gauges fixed to the frame of the blade and mounted in a Wheatstone bridge network which enabled after proper calibration to record force measurements. The type of frame chosen for the blade and the various modifications that were brought to it appear essential for the applicability of the system. In order to conduct a dynamic study of the "stop" during skating the system was coupled with a cinematographic technique enabling measurements of tridimensional angles of the skates. Two male subjects completed five "stops" at three different determined speeds. Results indicated that dynamometric systems build with frames of modified metal blades were of an adequate precision for measuring forces. Moreover coupling of the system with the cinematographic technique allowing measurements of tridimensional angles provides a powerful and innovative tool for the dynamic study of ice skating.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗