Acoustic myography during isometric fatigue in postpolio and control subjects

Surface electromyography and mechanomyography recording: a new differential composite probe

The objective of the study was to develop a new surface probe for differential mechanomyographic (MMG) and electromyographic (EMG) recording. Differential amplification is commonly used in electromyography to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. A new composite probe was developed with two electrodes (EMG) and two identical piezo-electric membranes (MMG) to be positioned on muscle. The probe had two built-in fixed-gain differential amplifiers: one to amplify the electric signal and the other to amplify the vibration signal. A similar non-differential MMG probe was used for comparisons. Burst muscular activity was recorded using the non-differential and differential probes and was used to test the performance of the two probes in suppressing artifacts of non-muscular origin. Power spectrum analysis of signals from the two probes showed that differential amplification significantly improved the signal-to-noise ratio in MMG recordings and significantly suppressed artifacts (power difference > 90%). The composite probe allowed simultaneous differential recording of MMG and EMG signals from the same muscular site. It recorded muscular activity more efficiently than the non-differential probe and could therefore be useful in studying fatigue and neuromuscular diseases.

Mechanomyogram and electromyogram responses of upper limb during sustained isometric fatigue with varying shoulder and elbow postures

To investigate the behavior of mechanomyogram (MMG) and electromyogram (EMG) signals in the time and frequency domains during sustained isometric contraction, MMG and surface EMG were obtained simultaneously from four muscles: upper trapezius (TP), anterior deltoid (DL), biceps brachii (BB), and brachioradialis (BR) of 10 healthy male subjects. Experimental conditions consisted of 27 combinations of 9 postures [3 shoulder angles (SA): 0 degree, 30 degrees, 60 degrees and 3 elbow angles (EA): 120 degrees, 90 degrees, 60 degrees] and 3 contraction levels: 20%, 40%, and 60% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). Subjective evaluations of fatigue were also assessed using the Borg scale at intervals of 60, 30, and 10 sec at 20%, 40%, and 60% MVC tests, respectively. The mean power frequency (MPF) and root mean square (RMS) of both signals were calculated. The current study found clear and significant relationships among physiological and psychological parameters on the one hand and SA and EA on the other. EA's effect on MVC was found to be significant. SA had a highly significant effect on both endurance time and Borg scale. In all experimental conditions, significant correlations were found between the changes in MPF and RMS of EMG in BB with SA and EA (or muscle length). In all four muscles, MMG frequency content was two or three times lower than EMG frequency content. During sustained isometric contraction, the EMG signal showed the well-known shift to lower frequencies (a continuous decrease from onset to completion of the contraction). In contrast, the MMG spectra did not show any shift, although its form changed (generally remaining about constant). Throughout the contraction, increased RMS of EMG was found for all tests, whereas in the MMG signal, a significant progressive increase in RMS was observed only at 20% MVC in all four muscles. This supports the hypothesis that the RMS amplitude of the MMG signal produced during contraction is highly correlated with force production. Possible explanations for this behavioral difference between the MMG and EMG signals are discussed.