Objective: To examine the relationship between the subjective sense of gluteal activation and actual muscle activity during a quadruped hip extension task in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Background: Individuals with PD commonly exhibit reduced movement amplitude and altered muscle coordination. In rehabilitation, selective activation of the gluteus maximus is often emphasized during hip extension tasks. However, it remains unclear whether the subjective sense of using the gluteal muscles corresponds to actual muscle activation in individuals with PD. Understanding this relationship may provide insight into altered motor awareness and sensorimotor control in PD.

Method: Six individuals with PD and three healthy controls participated in this study. At the time of analysis, data from four individuals with PD were available. Participants performed a quadruped hip extension task while maintaining trunk stability. Hip joint angles were assessed using motion analysis, and surface electromyography was recorded from the gluteus maximus, biceps femoris long head, semitendinosus, and erector spinae. In addition, participants rated their subjective sense of gluteal muscle use during the task using a Likert scale. Preliminary analyses focused on the relationship between hip extension angle, muscle activation patterns, and subjective ratings.

Results: Preliminary analysis of four individuals with PD demonstrated variability in hip extension angle, muscle activation patterns, and subjective ratings. Several participants showed reduced hip extension angle and altered muscle activation patterns, including reduced or inconsistent gluteus maximus activation and increased erector spinae activity. Despite these altered activation patterns, subjective ratings suggested that some participants perceived the task as being performed appropriately. These findings raise the possibility of a mismatch between the subjective sense of gluteal muscle use and actual muscle activation in individuals with PD.

Conclusion: Individuals with PD may show a discrepancy between the subjective sense of gluteal muscle use and actual muscle activation during a quadruped hip extension task. Such a mismatch may reflect altered motor awareness and sensorimotor processing in PD. These preliminary findings may have implications for rehabilitation approaches that incorporate both motor performance and subjective movement awareness.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/relationship-between-perceived-and-actual-gluteal-muscle-activation-in-parkinsons-disease/