Muscle Oxygenation
Measure oxygen at the muscle layer
Muscle Oxygen measurements are now possible due to the Moxy Monitor System that provides real-time physiologic feedback.
In the muscle, Moxy measures the ratio of the amount of oxyhemoglobin to the total amount of hemoglobin. The result is a percentage called muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2). This measurement occurs in the capillaries where oxygen is being taken up in the muscle. It also measures total hemoglobin, which is the molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to areas of the body where it is needed. Hemoglobin drops off oxygen where it is needed. Therefore, it can be in an "oxy" or "deoxy" state.
How does it work?
Moxy uses light from the near-infrared wavelength spectrum (light from ~670 to 810 nm) to measure muscle oxygenation levels in the muscle. Human tissue has low optical absorbance of near-infrared light, so the light can travel to reasonable depths. The near-infrared wavelength range is particularly useful because hemoglobin and myoglobin change color in that range depending on whether or not they are carrying oxygen.
Typically, the harder the muscle has to work then the lower the SmO2.
Moxy Monitor is compatible with Garmin watches. So the muscle oxygen levels can be displayed along with cadence, speed, heart rate and more.
Further details
Muscle oxygenation monitoring is applied during performance assessments with the wearable metabolic system (COSMED K5).