Effect of Shaolin internal qigong exercise on the surface electromyography signals of shoulder muscle groups in patients with capsulitis of the shoulder / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

ABSTRACT

Objective: To unveil the efficacy of Shaolin internal qigong exercise in treating capsulitis of the shoulder (CS) and explore objective outcome measures by observing the changes in the surface electromyography (sEMG) signals of shoulder muscle groups after regular practice of Shaolin internal qigong exercise in CS patients. Methods: Sixty CS patients were randomized into two groups by the random number table method, with 30 cases in each group. Patients in the qigong group practiced Shaolin internal qigong exercise on a regular basis, while patients in the electroacupuncture (EA) group received EA treatment. Before and after treatment, the sEMG signals of six muscles, i.e. biceps brachii, triceps brachii, deltoid, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi and trapezius muscles, of the affected side were recorded at 45° abduction of the shoulder, 60° forward flexion and 90° internal rotation with the elbow flexed during maximal isometric contraction, and the integrated electromyography (iEMG) of each muscle was calculated. Results: The total effective rate was 93.3％ in the qigong group, higher than 83.3％ in the EA group (P<0.05). Intra-group comparison showed that the iEMG of biceps brachii, triceps brachii, pectoralis major and deltoid muscles in the qigong group increased significantly after intervention at 45° abduction of the shoulder, 60° forward flexion and 90° internal rotation with the elbow flexed (all P<0.05), and the iEMG of trapezius and latissimus dorsi muscles decreased (both P<0.05); in the EA group, the iEMG of biceps brachii, pectoralis major and deltoid muscles increased significantly during contraction (all P<0.05), while the iEMG of triceps brachii, trapezius and latissimus dorsi muscles had no significant changes (all P>0.05). After intervention, there were significant differences in the iEMG of most of muscles between the two groups (all P<0.05), except for the iEMG of deltoid muscle at 45° of abduction of the shoulder joint during isometric contraction (P>0.05). Conclusion: Shaolin internal qigong exercise can effectively increase the motion intensity of the biceps brachii, triceps brachii, pectoralis major and deltoid muscles and reduce the compensation of the latissimus dorsi and trapezius muscles in CS patients; compared with EA, it produces a better result in improving the coordination and stability in shoulder joint movements.