Electromyographic behavior of neck and shoulder muscles during race kart

Abstract

Introduction: In kart, a motoring mode is common pilots complaining of neck and/or upper limbs pain. Objective: To analyze the electromyographic behavior of neck and shoulder muscles in the kart racing. Methods: The upper trapezius (UT), anterior scalene (AS), sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and anterior deltoid (AD) of the 21 men (26,95±7,83 years) were analyzed with at least six months of practice in the kart and compared the Root Mean Square (RMS) normalized for peak of the EMG signal between the left and right sides, with and without the use of cervical protector (Student’s t-test and Wilcoxon test) and between the muscles on the same side (ANOVA One-Way) normalized by the peak. Results: The left AD show higher activation compared to the right, between the muscles and the same side and with and without use of the cervical protector (P<0.01). Conclusions: The shoulder was more active than neck musculature during a race kart and the use of the cervical protector did not change the cervical EMG activity.