Surface electromyography of the vastus lateralis and gluteus medius muscles in post-operative T3–L3 hemilaminectomy dogs: a prospective controlled observational study

This study aimed to see if a non-invasive technology, surface electromyography (sEMG), could detect differences in muscle activity between normal dogs and those recovering from spinal cord injury after surgery for a slipped disc. The researchers compared muscle activation in dogs that had undergone surgery to remove a slipped disc with a control group of normal dogs using sEMG to measure muscle activity in their legs as they walked. The study found that dogs who had surgery had greater muscle activity compared to normal dogs, suggesting that this could be due to a lack of normal muscle control after spinal cord injury.

• 1
  Muscle activity was significantly greater in the post-operative hemilaminectomy group compared to the normal group.
• 2
  There was a significant difference in muscle activation between each hindlimb within the post-operative group.
• 3
  Muscle activation was significantly lower on the side that underwent surgery compared to the opposite limb.