RECORDING OF ELECTROMYOGRAM

AIM
To Simulate EMG Waveform and analyse the waveform and to calculate velocity of the signal.

THEORY
Electromyography (EMG) is a technique for evaluating and recording the electrical activity produced
by skeletal muscles. EMG is performed using an instrument called an electromyograph, to produce a
record called an electromyogram. An electromyograph detects the electrical potential generated by
muscle cells when these cells are electrically or neurologically activated. The signals can be analysed
to detect medical abnormalities, activation level, recruitment order or to analyse the biomechanics of
human or animal movement. There are two kinds of EMG in widespread use: Intramuscular EMG
and Surface EMG (sEMG).
Generation of sEMG:
sEMG signal is generated by the electrical activity of the muscle fibers active during a contraction.
The signal sources located at the depolarized zones of the muscle fibers are separated from the
recording electrodes by biological tissues, which act as spatial low-pass filters on the (spatial)
potential distribution. It is closely related to the muscle activity, muscle size and a measure of the
functional state of muscle fibres.
Physiology of human muscular system:
Structure of muscle:
A muscle consists of a large number of muscle fibers that are grouped into several motor units. A
motor unit is the basic level of the neuron motor system of the muscle. A motor unit (MU) consists
of an α - motoneuron in the spinal cord and the muscle fibers it innervates. All the muscle fibers in a
motor unit are controlled by a single motor neuron. The number of MUs per muscle in humans may
range from about 100 for a small hand muscle to 1000 or more for large limb muscles. Each muscle
fiber in a motor unit is connected to each axon branch of the associated motor neuron at a point
called neuromuscular junction (NMJ).The neuromuscular junction is located in a region in the
middle of the muscle length called the innervations region.
Muscle Contraction:
Muscle contraction is a result of the stimulations from motor neurons. Voluntary muscle contraction
is used to move the body and can be finely controlled, such as movements of the finger or gross
movements that of the biceps and triceps. There are three types of muscle contractions: Isometric
Contraction, Concentric contraction and Eccentric Contraction
Recruitment Pattern:
The process of selecting which motor units to be involved in a muscle contraction is called the
recruitment process. The current understanding of the motor unit recruitment pattern in a muscle is
based on the size principle. It demonstrated that motor units are always recruited in order of
increasing size of the α- motoneuron.
Motor Unit Action Potential (MUAP):
A motor neuron activates its motor unit by stimulating the motor unit’s muscle fibers with the nerve
action potential (AP) that travels along the axon towards the muscle fibers. The electric impulse that
is propagated along the motoneuron arrives at its terminal and causes the emission of acetylcholine
(ACh- a chemical substance) in the gap between the nerve terminal and the muscle fiber membrane,
which excites the fiber membrane at this neuromuscular junction. In this case a potential gradient in
a part of the fiber is generated. It creates the depolarization zones on the muscle fibers that propagate
away from the NMJ point in both directions towards the tendon (end point) of the muscle fiber.
The action potential can be characterized by a depolarization phase, a repolarization phase, and a
hyperpolarizing long after potential. The AP shape may change due to the conditions of the muscle
and few stages of AP alteration can be distinguished during fatigue. In the beginning of fatigue, the
AP spike width in space increases mainly because of the slowing of the repolarization phase. In this
phase the rate of increase of the AP remains practically unchanged while the amplitude decreases
slightly. The generation of the action potential creates an electric field in the surrounding space.
The potential generated by motor unit can also be detected in locations relatively far from the source.
The shape of the MUAP is affected by the geometrical arrangement of the muscle fibers, the
electrode proximity and the properties of the body tissues between the muscle fibers and the
recording site. MUAPs recorded with indwelling electrodes may have amplitude in the millivolt
(mV) range, while the magnitude of the action potentials recorded with surface electrodes is of the
order of microvolts (μV). This illustrates the superimposition of the MUAPs those results in the
generation of sEMG.

BLOCK DIAGRAM
->Velocity of an EMG signal(Formula)
PROCEDURE
To simulate Electromyogram Signal
1. Generate Gaussion random signals by changing the frequency.
2. Observe the deviation gaussion function by various control.
3. Truncate the signal by changing the alfa.
4. Observe the power spectrum of sEMG.
To find the velocity of EMG signal
1. Place simulation point and EMG electrode to the arm.
2. Fix a point between the simulation point and EMG electrode
3. Find the distance(l1,l2) and latency(t1,t2) between the simulation and the electrode placed in
the arm.
4. Find velocity using the formula

OBSERVATION AND CALCULATION

RESULT
The velocity of the EMG signal can be calculated using the values of distance and Latency.