ESTIMATION OF THE FUNCTIONAL STATE OF SKELETAL MUSCLE

Abstract- It is nearly impossible to overrate the importance of the functional state of the skeletal muscles as a component of the state of the organism as a whole. One of the significant criteria determining the functional state of a skeletal muscle is its tone. The measurement of the muscular tone is complicated, since the measurement procedure must not affect the biomechanical properties of the measured muscle. A new method and apparatus to carry out the biomechanical diagnostics of the functional state of the skeletal muscles have been designed at the University of Tartu. The idea of the method lies in using of acceleration probe to registrate the reaction of the periferical skeletal muscle or its part to the mechanical impact and the following analysis of the resulting signal with the aid of the personal computer. The criteria have been worked out which enable us to contribute in the diagnostics of the functional condition of the skeletal muscles and correlate it with certain criteria of the classical diagnostics. The apparatus consists of a semiautomatic myometrical transducer with a connecting cable, an analog-digital converter and a personal computer with the software necessary for the visualization, processing and storage of the experimental data