ECG Analysis | Physiological Benefits of Low-Altitude Tourism
There
is a reason people call it “the Great Outdoors.” People often escape to nature
to relax and recharge from the stressors of suburban life. Wilderness tourism
has been and will probably continue to be very popular. Permit requests to
hike the Pacific Crest Trail increased so dramatically following Cheryl
Strayed’s book about hiking the trail and the film adaptation starring Reese
Witherspoon that the spike is known as “The ‘Wild’ effect.” While there are many enthusiasts
that spring for the harder challenge of higher altitude treks, many tourists
head for the lower altitude camp grounds and hiking trails. This allows
vacationers to experience the full benefits of wilderness tourism without the
knowledge required to battle various ailments of high altitude expeditions.
There is a certain comfort and relaxation that comes with a low altitude
nature getaway. People often credit this to the state of mind that comes with
being disconnected from modern life. A recent study sought to examine what physiological effects actually make people feel comfortable and relaxed at these low altitude camping areas. The authors Chen-Hsu Wang, Audrey Ming-Li Fan, Chen Lin and Cheng-Deng Kuo found that the real-effects of low-altitude tourism were not well documented. They decided to test three different low-altitude locations (30, 520 and 1080 MASL) and examined 49 healthy adults. Electrocardiographic signals were recorded using a BIOPAC MP System and analyzed using AcqKnowledge software. The study found that low-altitude wilderness tourism can lead to an increase in both Heart Rate (HR) and Blood Pressure (BP), and an increase in overall Heart Rate Variability (HRV). The paper notes that the greatest decrease in HR and BP and increase in HRV came around the 520 MASL mark. This shows that travel in low-altitude mountain areas may be good for physiological fitness in healthy adults for automatic nervous modulation and blood pressure regulation, especially in older individuals.
This experiment should prove to make that next vacation nature-oriented, whether it is to Yosemite, Big Sur or anywhere in between. This study shows that wilderness trips are not only good for the soul, but has positive physiological effects for your body as well.
Data Logging | Lumbar Multifidus (LM) Muscle
The lumbar multifidus (LM) muscle
is an important muscle that works to stabilize certain spinal segments as well
as control the extension moment of the lumbar spine. Studies have shown that
this muscle can be atrophied in people with chronic lower back pain. Physical
therapists thus frequently use lumbar extensor strengthening or stabilization
exercises for treatment of lower back pain. Researchers are still uncertain
about the influence of surface electromyographic (EMG) activity on lower back pain treatment outcomes. Recent
research has focused mostly on EMG levels during prone trunk extension (PTE) exercises and four-point
kneeling contralateral arm and leg lift (FPKAL) exercises. These recent
studies however have not focused on the selective activation of LM muscles
during lower back pain treatment exercises.
Jun-Seok Kim, Min-Hyeok
Kang, Jun-Hyeok Jang, and Jae-Seop Oh thus sought to study
exactly that so as to provide an experimental study that established the
efficacy of the exercises as therapeutic treatment. The researchers gathered a
group of twenty healthy individuals without lower back pain who had not participated in lumbar strengthening or
stabilization exercises during
the previous six
months. Surface EMG data was
collected from the volunteers using a BIOPAC MP150 data acquisition and
analysis system as they performed the various exercises. The study found that selective
activation was higher during the FPKAL exercise than PTE, thus showing it is
the better and more effective way to treat lower back pain. While the
experiment provides good data for evaluating therapeutic exercises, future
evaluation in an actual physical therapy setting would prove
beneficial.
BIOPAC’s wireless BioNomadix Logger allows this type of
research to continue outside the laboratory. Subjects
who suffer lower back pain, for example, could wear the BIOPAC logging device when they are
performing PTE or FPKAL at home or during a therapeutic session.
The BioNomadix Logger’s portable
size and 24 hour data logging capability makes this type of surface EMG
recording outside the lab incredibly easy and would provide more insightful
evidence into effects of different therapeutic exercises.
Surface EMG | Musician’s Cramp
Focal hand dystonia, also known as “musician’s cramp,” is a movement disorder that causes involuntary flexing in the fingers, or finger cramps, when playing a musical instrument. This disorder poses a huge problem for professional musicians and in some cases can even threaten their careers. Many methods have been attempted to try and alleviate the ailment, but the most effective training method has been the “slow-down exercise” (SDE). This exercise, based on the fact that symptoms disappear when playing at a slow tempo, involves selecting a short passage that triggers the cramps then slowing the tempo down to where the musician can play without involuntary finger flexing. The same passage is then repeated over and over, gradually increasing the speed over time. While this method has helped improve symptoms, it was unclear what aspects of motor skills improved through SDE training.
Michiko Yoshie, Naotaka Sakai, Tatsuyuki Ohtsuki and Kazutoshi Kudo investigated how SDE affected motor performance, muscular activity, and somatosensation in a dystonic pianist. The study entitled “Slow-Down Exercise Reverses Sensorimotor Reorganization in Focal Hand Dystonia: A Case Study of a Pianist” tested a musician over a 12 month period as she underwent SDE training for 30 minutes a day, playing a specific passage that evoked the finger cramps most substantially. During the motor task, the musician’s surface EMG was recorded using EMG amplifiers and a BIOPAC MP Data Acquisition System. Throughout the rehabilitation process the musician improved her speed of key strokes and actually helped recover her normal motor and somatosensory functions. The researchers even found evidence that showed the brain had the capacity to reverse sensorimotor reorganization that was induced by the focal hand dystonia. The findings objectively show that SDE training not only improves effected people’s key strokes but helps to completely recover from the neurological disorder.
ECG Analysis | Body Dissatisfaction in University Attending Women
Weight
and body shape issues are a major concern amongst today’s general population,
especially young women. The pressure from outside forces to conform to a certain
body type, whether it is from advertisements or even their own social media
pages, is ever present. This causes a lot of women to harbor a high level of
body dissatisfaction which then internalizes aforementioned body shape
pressures. Mirror exposure has been used recently as a therapeutic technique to
reduce body dissatisfaction. Little is known, however, about what actually makes
this technique effective.
A recent study entitled “Body Dissatisfaction and
Mirror Exposure: Evidence for a Dissociation between Self-Report and
Physiological Responses in Highly Body-Dissatisfied Women” sought to study the
cognitive, mental and psychophysiological responses in women with different
levels of body dissatisfaction. Forty-two women attending University of Jaen were chosen to participate in the
study. The subjects were separated in to two groups, based on self-reported
criteria, into either the high-body dissatisfaction (HBD) or low-body
dissatisfaction (LBD) group. The participants were then asked to stand in front
of a mirror and directed to look at certain parts of their body (while wearing
beige underwear) while a BIOPAC MP150 system with an ECG amplifier continuously
recorded their physiological signals throughout the experiment. The researchers
then used AcqKnowledge software’s ECG analysis functions to obtain quantification of heart rate (HR) values. As
hypothesized, HBD women experienced more negative cognitive and mental emotions
than did LBD women. Conversely though, HBD women were found to have a reduced
physiological reaction (HR) than did LBD. The researchers hypothesized that this
might be due to HBD women’s development of a passive coping mechanism. Rather
than reacting with heightened senses to an upsetting or fearful situation, HBD
women react passively out of a possible sense of helplessness. Researchers also
felt that this could possibly be caused by HBD women performing more
self-inspections in the mirror than LBD women, but that the other explanation
was more probably. Although more research needs to be done, this study suggests
the possibility that eating behavior problems could stem from passive coping
mechanisms associated with body issues.