Pain assessment is very important in establishing the efficacy of analgesics and therapies, but because pain is a subjective experience, using methods that represent pain objectively is necessary. A number of biopotentials have been employed in studies of the objective assessment of pain. However, few investigations have considered the peripheral nervous system response to electrical stimulation. The present study evaluated a method for pain quantification based on the analysis of biopotentials. We assessed electromyographic activity that resulted from evoked movements from the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR). We investigated correlations between stimulus intensity, features extracted from surface electromyography (EMG), and subjective pain reported by subjects using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). A total of 10 healthy male subjects without any pain disorder, aged 20-27 years, participated in the study. A high correlation (r 2 > .87) was found between stimulus intensity and the following features extracted from the EMG: area, root mean square (RMS), and entropy. A high correlation (r 2 > .99) was also found between stimulus intensity and subjective pain reported on the VAS. We conclude that estimating features from electromyographic signals that are correlated with subjective pain sensations and the intensity of the electrical stimulus is possible. Entropy, RMS, and the area of the electromyographic signal appear to be relevant parameters in correlations with subjective pain.

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Introduction Urinary incontinence is defined as any involuntary loss of urine. An imbalance in the transmission of forces between the bladder and urethra, associated with deficient support of the pelvic floor muscles, contributes to an alteration in balance in women. Objective To compare balance between continent and incontinent women. Methods This was a cross-sectional study with 13 women divided into incontinent (age: 41.50 ± 9.13 years) and continent (age: 35.29 ± 4.99 years) groups. Balance assessments were performed using a force platform and electromyography: standing, with eyes open (BI_OA); standing, with eyes closed (BI_OF); standing on foam, with eyes open (ESP_OA) and closed (ESP_OF); and standing with unipedal support, with eyes open (UNI_OA). Statistical analysis was initiated after resampling of the original data using the bootstrap technique, with the α value set at 5% (p < 0.05). Results In the BI_OA task, no significant differences were found between the groups. In the BI_OF task, incontinent women showed greater displacement in the anteroposterior axis (p < 0.001), and continent women showed greater displacement in the mediolateral axis (p = 0.008). In the ESP_OA task, incontinent women showed greater displacement in both the COP_X (p = 0.003) and COP_Y (p = 0.001) axes; in the ESP_OF task, continent women showed greater displacement in the COP_X (p < 0.001) axis. In the UNI_OA task, greater anteroposterior displacement was observed among incontinent women (p = 0.008). Conclusion Continent women showed greater displacement in the mediolateral axis in the tasks with eyes closed, and incontinent women showed greater displacement in the anteroposterior axis in the BI_OF, ESP_OA, and UNI_OA tasks.

Resumo Introdução A incontinência urinária é definida como qualquer perda involuntária de urina. Um desequilíbrio na transmissão de forças entre bexiga e uretra, associado a um suporte deficitário dos músculos do assoalho pélvico, contribui para uma alteração no equilíbrio de mulheres. Objetivo Comparar o equilíbrio entre mu-lheres continentes e incontinentes. Métodos Trata-se de um estudo transversal, com 13 mulheres divididas em incontinentes (idade: 41,50 ± 9,13 anos) e continentes (idade: 35,29 ± 4,99 anos). A avaliação do equilíbrio foi realizada na plataforma de força associada à eletromi-ografia: em pé, com olhos abertos (BI_OA); em pé, com olhos fechados (BI_OF); em pé sobre uma espuma, com olhos abertos (ESP_OA) e fechados (ESP_OF); e em pé com apoio unipodal, com olhos abertos (UNI_OA). A análise estatística foi iniciada após a reamostragem dos dados originais pela técnica Bootstrap, com valor de α fixado em 5% (p < 0,05). Resultados Na avaliação do equilíbrio BI_OA, não foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre os grupos. No BI_OF, as mulheres incontinentes apresentaram maior deslocamento no eixo anteroposterior (p < 0,001), enquanto as continen-tes, no médio-lateral (p = 0,008). Na tarefa ESP_OA, as incontinentes apresentaram maior deslocamento em ambos os eixos COP_X (p = 0,003) e COP_Y (p = 0,001); já na ESP_OF, as continentes apresentaram maior deslocamento no COP_X (p < 0,001). Na tarefa UNI_OA, observou-se maior deslocamento anteroposterior entre as incontinentes (p = 0,008). Conclusão Mulheres continentes apresentaram maiores deslocamentos no eixo médio-lateral nas tarefas de olhos fechados, enquanto as incontinentes, no eixo anteroposterior nas tarefas BI_OF, ESP_OA, UNI_OA.

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