Low back pain and muscle fatigue due to road cycling—An sEMG study

Summary 

The objective of this study was to determine muscle fatigue in cyclists with and without low back pain (LBP) using bilateral surface electromyography (sEMG). sEMG was acquired bilaterally from biceps brachii medial, trapezius medial, latissimus dorsi medial, and erector spinae medial muscles. Fourteen male volunteers split equally into two groups (with and without LBP) participated in this study. sEMG was recorded before, after 15 and 30min of cycling when the subjects performed psychophysical tests to elicit maximal voluntary contraction of the relevant muscles. Statistical tests to determine fatigue difference using mean power frequency were performed. LBP group showed a significantly higher fatigue () in right trapezius medial and erector spinae when compared to the without LBP group. The high fatigue in the back muscles in the LBP group is suggestive of the possibility for worsening of their condition due to cycling.

Keywords: Surface electromyography, Cycling, Low back pain, Muscle fatigue, Fitness training