Movement Patterns of Polish National Paralympic Team Wheelchair Fencers with Regard to Muscle Activity and Co-Activation Time

The aim of this study was to determine muscle co-activation and muscle activity time using EMG in Paralympic wheelchair fencers categorized into two disability-level groups: A (n= 7) and B (n= 9). The study was carried out with the use of a 16-channel EMG system. The surface EMG electrodes were placed on the fencer’s body along nine channels: arm muscles – deltoideus middle head (DEL), triceps brachii (TRI) and biceps brachii (BC); forearm muscles – extensor carpi radialis longus (ECR), flexor carpi radialis (FCR); postural (abdominal and back) muscles – the right and the left external oblique abdominal (EOA RT and LT) and latissimus dorsi (LD RT and LT). To assess the relative level of coactivation (simultaneous contraction of both muscles) for the TRI-BC, ECR-FCR, LD RT-EDA RT and LD LT-EDA LT muscle pairs, the co-activation index (CI) was calculated. The collected data were processed using Jamovi. The study hypotheses were verified at the level of significance of p≤0.05 (Welch’s t-test). The normal distribution of analyzed statistical features was checked with the Shapiro-Wilk test. The analysis of muscle activation time, as a percent ratio of three attempts executed in a series, confirmed the study assumptions. Fencers from Group A had a shorter activation time in all tested muscles, with the exception of the ECR (58.24), than fencers from Group B. This confirms that the activation of antagonist muscles representing a centrally programmed anticipatory mechanism stabilizing technical actions was particularly intensified in Group A fencers. The study results indicate that the standard co-activation index (CI) of key muscles involved in wheelchair fencing ranges from 48 to 51%.

Borysiuk, Z., Błaszczyszyn, M., Piechota, K., Nowicki, T. (2022). Movement Patterns of Polish National Paralympic Team Wheelchair Fencers with Regard to Muscle Activity and Co-Activation Time. Journal of Human Kinetics, 82, 223-232. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2022-0064

Borysiuk, Z., Błaszczyszyn, M., Piechota, K., and Nowicki, T. (2022). Movement Patterns of Polish National Paralympic Team Wheelchair Fencers with Regard to Muscle Activity and Co-Activation Time. Journal of Human Kinetics, 82, pp.223-232. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2022-0064

Borysiuk, Zbigniew et al. “Movement Patterns of Polish National Paralympic Team Wheelchair Fencers with Regard to Muscle Activity and Co-Activation Time.” Journal of Human Kinetics, vol. 82, 2022, pp. 223-232. doi:10.2478/hukin-2022-0064.

Borysiuk Z, Błaszczyszyn M, Piechota K, Nowicki T. Movement Patterns of Polish National Paralympic Team Wheelchair Fencers with Regard to Muscle Activity and Co-Activation Time. Journal of Human Kinetics. 2022;82:223-232. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2022-0064