Surface EMG variability while running on grass,concrete and treadmill

This study aimed to investigate whether inter-trial variability in muscle activity (electromyography, EMG) during running is influenced by the number of acquired steps and running surface. Nine healthy participants ran at preferred speed on treadmill, concrete, and grass. Tibial acceleration and surface EMG from 12 lower limb muscles were recorded. The coefficient of variation (CV) from the average EMG and peak EMG were computed from 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 steps in each running surface. Data average stability was computed using sequential estimation technique (SET) from 100 steps. The CV for average and peak EMG was lower during treadmill running compared to running on grass (−11 ± 2.88%) or concrete (−9 ± 2.94%) (p < 0.05), without differences across the different number of steps. Moreover, the peak EMG CV from peroneus longus was lower on concrete (p < 0.05), whereas gluteus maximus presented greater variability on grass compared to concrete (p < 0.05). The SET analysis revealed that average stability is reached with up to 10 steps across all running conditions. Therefore, treadmill running induced greater variability compared to overground, without influence of the number of steps on EMG variability. Moreover, average stability for EMG recordings may be reached with up to 10 steps.