Wavelet-based semblance analysis to determine muscle synergy for different handstand postures of Chilean circus athletes

Abstract

The handstand is an uncommon posture, highly demanding in terms of muscle and joint stability, used in sporting and artistic practices in a variety of disciplines. Despite its becoming increasingly widespread, there is no specific way to perform a handstand, and the neuromuscular organizational mechanisms involved are unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the muscle synergy of four handstand postures through a semblance analysis based on wavelets of electromyographic signals in the upper limbs of experienced circus performers between 18- and 35-year old. The results show that there is a large difference in positive and negative correlations depending on the posture, which suggests that the more asymmetrical the position of the lower limbs, the greater the number of strategies to maintain the posture. Although it is not a statistically significant data, it is observed that the posture 3 in particular, possesses the greatest number of positive correlations, which suggests it has the greatest synergy.

Keywords:

• Synergy
• electromyography
• handstand
• semblance analysis
• wavelet

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the athletes of Circo del Mundo in Santiago, Chile for their disinterested participation in the study, and their students, Carlos Troncoso, Anette Castillo y Liliana Jara, at the Department of Kinesiology of the Universidad Santo Tomás for their active participation in data collection from the trial subjects.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.