Relationship between EMG signals and force in human vastus lateralis muscle using multiple bipolar wire electrodes

Abstract

This paper describes the relationship between knee extension force and EMG signals detected by multiple bipolar wire electrodes inserted into the human vastus lateralis muscle under isometric conditions. Six healthy male volunteers participated in this study. Eight pairs of bipolar wire electrodes were inserted into the right vastus lateralis muscle and the EMG data were simultaneously detected and analyzed. The EMG raw data and individual force-IEMG relations were influenced by the location of the electrode inserted into the muscle. The force and IEMG relationship averaged across subjects detected from the eight electrodes, however, showed almost the same linear correlation in spite of different electrode locations. No linear correlation was observed between MdF and the knee extension force. This result suggests that, if all of the muscle fibers participate in the same action at the same time, the averaged normalized IEMG from any places using wire electrodes could reflect the total activities of that muscle even if the muscle is large.