UGA researchers develop low-cost test to evaluate muscle health

University of Georgia researchers have developed non-invasive test developed by researchers which shows how exercise can help people with neurological injuries and illnesses.

According to an article by Kristen Morales on the school’s website evaluating the muscle health of individuals with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and other severe nerve damage was only possible using expensive equipment, such as an MRI.

But by using an accelerometer placed on the skin-similar to technology found in wearable fitness devices-and using low-level electronic pulses to mimic brain signals, researchers in the kinesiology department at the UGA College of Education can measure increases in muscle endurance, an indicator of muscle health, after exercise.

In the article, UGA professor Kevin McCully says "It has a chance to transform the way people study muscles in clinical populations because it's so simple, easy and well-tolerated."

It is reported that the test is already showing results in individuals with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease that affects nerves throughout the body. Doctoral student Brad Willingham, who helped develop the test with McCully, recently used it as part of his research. The results show how much exercise can help improve overall muscle health.

"If we're giving them therapy, we're using this to tease out the mechanism of why it's working," said Willingham in the article. "We strongly believe that some benefits of therapy are related to muscle plasticity, or the ability of the muscle to adapt to exercise, and that's essentially what this test is showing."

UGA researchers are now working with the Shepherd Center in Atlanta to further investigate ways to keep patients active, no matter how serious their nerve damage.

According to McCully, even if a patient is in a wheelchair, this test shows that exercise will improve their function pretty dramatically.

This story was originally published March 13, 2017 at 5:39 PM with the headline "UGA researchers develop low-cost test to evaluate muscle health."