Frequency of vibration for activating human muscles: A pilot study / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the best vibration frequency for activating human muscles.Methods Nineteen healthy college students accepted vibration stimulation at frequencies between 10 and 50 Hz.Surface electromyograms (sEMG) were recorded.The subjects were sitting,standing,squatting (knee flexion 30°) and recumbent.Their left anterior tibial muscles and the medial heads of the gastrocnemius were targeted as test muscles.The vibration stimulation point was on the surface of the left distal tibia.The sEMG characteristics of the calf muscles were analyzed under vibration stimulation at different frequencies. ResultsThe leg muscles were activated significantly at all vibration frequencies,but the sEMG values of the anterior tibialis were significantly different at different frequencies,except for among 30 Hz,40 Hz and 50 Hz in any position.The gastrocnemius sEMG values were not significantly different at different frequencies. ConclusionVibration at 30 to 50Hz may be the normal human muscle activation frequency.