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A new approach to motor unit estimation with surface EMG triggered averaging technique
Author(s) -
Shahani Bhagwan T.,
Fang Jianjun,
Dhand Upinder K.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.880181004
Subject(s) - motor unit , electromyography , motor unit recruitment , biomedical engineering , muscle contraction , physical medicine and rehabilitation , motor neuron , medicine , anatomy , pathology , disease
A new method for estimating the number of motor units using a surface EMG triggered averaging technique is described. This method provides an estimation of mean motor unit potential (MUP) amplitude at different leveles of contraction, which can be utilized to estimate the number of motor units in a given muscle. Motor unit count estimated in abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscle of 11 normal healthy subjects ranged from 131 to 371 with a mean of 246 ± 68. In our preliminary study of patients with lower motor neuron lesions, there was a significant reduction in the number of motor units. We believe our new noninvasive method of motor unit counting is a relatively simple and reproducible physiological technique.© 1995 John Wiley &Sons, Inc.