Background: The purpose of this study was to measure the muscular activation in four forelimb muscles while\ndogs performed agility tasks (i.e., jumping and A-frame) and to provide insight into potential relationships between\nlevel of muscular activation and risk of injury. Muscle activation in eight healthy, client-owned agility dogs was\nmeasured using ultrasound-guided fine-wire electromyography of four specific forelimb muscles: Biceps Brachii,\nSupraspinatus, Infraspinatus, and Triceps Brachii ââ?¬â?? Long Head, while dogs performed a two jump sequence and\nwhile dogs ascended and descended an A-frame obstacle at two different competition heights.\nResults: The peak muscle activations during these agility tasks were between 1.7 and 10.6 fold greater than\nwalking. Jumping required higher levels of muscle activation compared to ascending and descending an A-frame,\nfor all muscles of interest. There was no significant difference in muscle activation between the two A-frame\nheights.\nConclusions: Compared to walking, all of the muscles were activated at high levels during the agility tasks and our\nfindings indicate that jumping is an especially demanding activity for dogs in agility. This information is broadly\nrelevant to understanding the pathophysiology of forelimb injuries related to canine athletic activity.
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