Low Back Pain Evaluation for Cyclist using sEMG: A Comparative Study between Bicyclist and Aerobic Cyclist

Despite of wide use of surface electromyography (EMG) recorded during dynamic exercises; the reproducibility of sEMG variables has not been fully established in cycling exercise. As an extension of our previous study, this study aims to examine, muscle fatigue of bicyclist and aerobic-cyclist on biceps brachii medial, trapezius medial, latissimus dorsi medial, and erector spinae muscles within low back pain (LBP) group using bilateral surface EMG (sEMG). Five male volunteers with LBP were chosen and sEMG was recorded bilaterally from selected muscle groups for 30 minutes of ride of each subject. The collected sEMG signals were filtered using Butterworth filter with a pass band of 20-400 Hz and stop band of 47-49 Hz. Statistical tests were performed to determine the difference in fatigue, using MPF difference. No significant result was found for aerobic-cyclist. Whereas, in case of bicyclists in LBP group showed a significantly fatigue in biceps brachii medial, right trapezius medial and erector spinae. From the results, it is evident that LBP can worsen significantly by cycling than aerobic cycling; for subjects who have previous injury to lower back. These inferences could be used when deciding fitness and rehabilitation regimes.