New approach for the assessment of sarcopenia using core shape modelling

Sarcopenia, the age-related decline in muscle mass and strength, poses diagnostic challenges due to limited, costly, and specialized evaluation methods. This study suggests using surface electromyography (sEMG) as a diagnostic tool. This research aims to evaluate the performance of the core shape modelling, a novel biomarker obtained from the sEMG signal for sarcopenia assessment. The study involved nine sarcopenic and eleven healthy individuals performing consecutive thirty-second sit-to-stand movements while a bipolar sEMG signal was recorded from the rectus femoris and biceps femoris muscles. Traditional sEMG parameters (root mean square and mean frequency) and core shape modelling features were analyzed. The statistical comparison revealed no significant differences in conventional parameters between groups for either muscle. However, the core shape modelling approach displayed significant distinctions, particularly in left shape distance (rectus femoris) and right shape distance (biceps femoris) between sarcopenic and control subjects. These findings suggest that the proposed biomarker holds promise in improving sarcopenia diagnosis.