Can Local Heat Economize Muscle Activity?

Journal/Book: Blackwell-MZV 1993. 1993;

Abstract: Department of Physical Medicine Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich Germany *Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation University of Vienna Austria **Friedrich Baur Institute Department of Internal Medicine Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich Germany Introduction In many cases low back pain (LBP) is thought to be caused by muscular tension in connection with an increased muscle tone (1 2). A common form of treatment is the local application of heat (for instance via mud packs) (3-6). Although most patients experience this therapy as comforting concincing evidence for a beneficial effect is lacking. The present study investigates the question whether local heat application changes muscle activity measured by surface electromyography (SEMG). Previous investigations on relaxed muscles could not show effects possibly because of the low activity of the SEMG a rest (7 8). Therefore the protocol was modified and the investigation was done on muscles at light to medium strength isometric contraction. hl

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