Answer

Research Report Discussion

Most Important Result

The most important result of my study is that the chronaxie of the dominant and non-dominant hand has a standard deviation (SD) of ± 0.7821 and 0.9671, respectively. Additionally, the rheobase of the dominant and non-dominant hand has a SD of ± 5.0830 and 6.8182, respectively. In specific, compared to the dominant arm, the non-dominant arm has a higher standard deviation from the dominant arm. The meaning of such results is that there are differences in the strength-duration curve of the flexor digitorum superficialis of the dominant arm compared to the non-dominant arm. The results support the hypothesis on the point that there are different degrees of excitability between the dominant arm and the non-dominant arm.

Results’ Fit with Existing Literature

The results of the study fit with various other studies which have been done on the area. For instance, the findings are in tandem with the research by Meffin et al. (2014), which established that there are differences between the duration as well as stimulus required to stimulate the dominant arm compared to that which is needed for the non-dominant arm. Similarly, Adams, Willits, & Harkins (2015) study established that when the rheobase exceeds the strengths of the stimulus, there is a failure to generate the actions potentials. For instance, if the stimulus becomes too small for either arm, then the membrane potential will never reach its threshold.

Despite the results’ fit with some literature articles, they also contradict with others. For instance, the findings of the differences in the rheobase between the dominant and non-dominant arm contradict those of Boinagrov, Loudin, & Palanker (2010) which state that strength-duration relationship differs based on the classical intracellular models as opposed to whether the stimulus is applied to the dominant or the non-dominant arm. Additionally, according to Barriga-Rivera et al. (2017), there exists an inverse relationship exists between the time constant and rheobase for both sensory and motor axons.

Major Follow Up Studies Indicated

Based on the results, several follow-ups studied should be conducted to provide the clarification of various issues. One of the new directions supported by the results is to establish the specific combination of strength and time durations, which can provide optimal effects on the motor point excitation. In particular, it is vital to establish the exact combination of rheobase and chronaxie, which will lead to the attainment of optimal stimulation for patients with different target muscle needs. Additionally, follow up study should be done to establish why chronaxie data points are close to the mean, whereas the rheobase has a greater spread of data from the mean.

Main Take-Home Message

The primary finding on the standard deviation of the chronaxie of the dominant arm compared to that of the non-dominant arm supports the hypothesis of the study which was that comparing the dominant arm and the non-dominant arm has a decrease in excitability and a right shift in the strength-duration curve of the flexor digitorum superficialis. As such, one take-home message is that the duration curves of the flexor digitorum superficialis in dominant and non- dominant arms differs. As a result, it is vital that different levels of stimulus are applied to both arms, depending on the necessary level of rheobase for each arm. It should not be assumed that the same stimulus will produce the same results on both the dominant and non-dominant arm.

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