The ABC of EMG

A Practical Introduction
to Kinesiological Electromyography

Peter Konrad
Version 1.4 March 2006

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ABC of EMG – A Practical Introduction to Kinesiological Electromyography Page 2

 Introduction & Definition
How to use this booklet
This first edition of "The ABC of EMG" is primarily a short teaching
manual concerned with summarizing selected scientific concepts as
well as general contents and processes of the experimental technique.
This booklet is not intended to replace the fundamental EMG literature
(see chapter “Recommended EMG Books”, which is also used as ref-
erence source for citations), especially when concerned with more ex-
perience leading to an increased complexity of the problems tackled.

The main intention is to simplify the first steps in the use of EMG as
research and evaluation tool and “get started”. It tries to overview and
Fig.1: A fundamental EMG text
summarize the basic knowledge needed to apply and perform mean- book. Basmajian&DeLuca: Mus-
cles Alive (2)
ingful EMG setups and concentrates on practical questions and solu-
tions.
It is strongly recommended to study the scientific publications and textbooks related to a certain topic. This
booklet cannot reflect the variety of different views, opinions and strategies that have to be considered for a
responsible scientific use of EMG.

Definition of EMG
"Electromyography (EMG) is an experimental technique concerned with the development, recording and
analysis of myoelectric signals. Myoelectric signals are formed by physiological variations in the state of
muscle fiber membranes." (2).

Electromyography…

“..is the study of muscle function through the inquiry

Fig. 2: Basmajian &
of the electrical signal the muscles emanate.” DeLuca: Definition
Muscles Alive (2 - p. 1)

Unlike the classical Neurological EMG, where an artificial muscle response due to external electrical stimu-
lation is analyzed in static conditions, the focus of Kinesiological EMG can be described as the study of the
voluntary neuromuscular activation of muscles within postural tasks, functional movements, work conditions
and treatment/training regimes.

ABC of EMG – A Practical Introduction to Kinesiological Electromyography Page 5

Use and Benefits of EMG
Widespread use of EMG
Besides basic physiological and biomechanical studies, kinesiological EMG is established as an evaluation
tool for applied research, physiotherapy/rehabilitation, sports training and interactions of the human body to
industrial products and work conditions:

Medical Research Rehabilitation

• Orthopedic • Post surgery/accident
• Surgery • Neurological Rehabilitation
• Functional Neurology • Physical Therapy
• Gait & Posture Analysis • Active Training Therapy

Ergonomics Sports Science

• Analysis of demand • Biomechanics
• Risk Prevention • Movement Analysis
• Ergonomics Design • Athletes Strength Training
• Product Certification • Sports Rehabilitation

Fig.3: Application areas of kinesiological EMG

Typical benefits of EMG
The use of EMG starts with the basic question: “What are the muscles doing?”

Typical benefits are:

• EMG allows to directly “look” into the muscle

• It allows measurement of muscular performance
• Helps in decision making both before/after surgery
• Documents treatment and training regimes
• Helps patients to “find” and train their muscles
• Allows analysis to improve sports activities
• Detects muscle response in ergonomic studies
Fig. 4: Direct look into the body / muscle function: EMG syn-
chronized with video and other movement sensors. Software
screenshot of MyoResearch XPTM - NORAXON INC. USA

ABC of EMG – A Practical Introduction to Kinesiological Electromyography Page 6

Signal Origin
The Motor Unit
The smallest functional unit to describe the neural con-
Motor Unit
trol of the muscular contraction process is called a Mo-
tor Unit (Fig. 5). It is defined as “...the cell body and
Alpha
dendrites of a motor neuron, the multiple branches of its Motoneuron

axon, and the muscle fibers that innervates it (5, p.

151). The term units outlines the behavior, that all mus-
Axon
cle fibers of a given motor unit act “as one” within the
innervation process. Motor
Muscle endplates
Fibers

Excitation Excitation

Fig.5: Motor unit. Adopted & modified from 2,7

Excitability of muscle membranes
The excitability of muscle fibers through neural control represents a major factor in muscle physiology. This
phenomenon can be explained by a model of a semi-permeable membrane describing the electrical prop-
erties of the sarcolemna. An ionic difference between the inner and outer spaces of a muscle cell forms a
resting potential at the muscle fiber membrane (approximately -80 to -90 mV when not contracted). This
difference in potential which is maintained by physiological processes (ion pump) results in a negative intra-
cellular charge compared to the external surface. The activation of an alpha-motor anterior horn cell (induced
by the central nervous system or reflex) results in the conduction of the excitation along the motor nerve. Af-
ter the release of transmitter substances at the motor endplates, an endplate potential is formed at the mus-
cle fiber innervated by this motor unit. The diffusion characteristics of the muscle fiber membrane are briefly
modified and Na+ ions flow in. This causes a membrane Depolarization which is immediately restored by
backward exchange of ions within the active ion pump mechanism, the Repolarization:

Resting potential Depolarisation

Depolarization Repolarisation
Repolarization
Extracellular

Extracellular

Na+ K +
Na +
K +
- Na+ K+
+ +
Cell - Ion- Electrical
Membrane Pump gradient
Intracellular

Intracellular

- + -
Na+ K+ Na+ K+ Na+ K+
A- A- A-
Steady State at- 80mV
80mV Increased Na- Influx Increased Na- Efflux
Exflux
due to ionic pump
mVolts

mVolts
+ 30 mV
Fig.6: Schematic
illustration of depo-
larization / repolariza-
tion cycle within
excitable membranes
- 80

ABC of EMG – A Practical Introduction to Kinesiological Electromyography Page 7

The Generation of the EMG Signal

The Action Potential

If a certain threshold level is exceeded within the Na+
influx, the depolarization of the membrane causes an 30
Over -

Membrane Potential ( mV)

shoot Repolarization

Action potential to quickly change from – 80 mV up

0
to + 30 mV (Fig. 7). It is a monopolar electrical burst
Depolari -
that is immediately restored by the repolarization - 30
zation
After
Hyperpolarization
phase and followed by an After Hyperpolarization Threshold

period of the membrane. Starting from the motor end - 80

plates, the action potential spreads along the muscle

fiber in both directions and inside the muscle fiber 1 3 5

through a tubular system. Fig.7: The Action Potential. Adopted & redrawn from 5, p. 164

This excitation leads to the release of calcium ions in the intra-cellular space. Linked chemical processes
(Electro-mechanical coupling) finally produce a shortening of the contractile elements of the muscle cell.

This model linking excitation and contraction represents a highly correlated relationship (although weak exci-
tations can exist that do not result in contraction). From a practical point of view, one can assume that in a
healthy muscle any form of muscle contraction is accompanied by the described mechanisms.

The EMG signal is based upon action potentials at the muscle fiber membrane resulting from depolarization
and repolarization processes as described above. The extent of this Depolarization zone (Fig. 8) is de-
scribed in the literature as approximately 1-3mm² (11). After initial excitation, this zone travels along the mus-
cle fiber at a velocity of 2-6m/s and passes through the electrode site:

Differential Display
Amplifier Unit

Skin Electrodes

Depolarized
membrane area
Sarcolemna --- +++
+++ ---
Fig.8: The
depolariza-
Front of excitation tion zone on
muscle fiber
membranes.
Direction of propagation Adopted &
modified from
7, p. 73)

ABC of EMG – A Practical Introduction to Kinesiological Electromyography Page 8

Signal Propagation and Detection
An electrical model for the motor action potential
The depolarization – repolarization cycle forms a depolarization wave or electrical dipole (11) which
travels along the surface of a muscle fiber. Typically, bipolar electrode configurations and a differential
amplification are used for kinesiological EMG measures. For simplicity, in a first step, only the detection of
a single muscle fiber is illustrated in the following scheme. Depending on the spatial distance between
electrode 1 and 2, the dipole forms a potential difference between the electrodes.

In the example illustrated in figure

Differential Display
9, at time point T1 the action po- Amplifier Unit

tential is generated and travels Electrodes

towards the electrode pair. An in- Depolarization wave

creasing potential difference is + - + - + - + - + -

T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
measured between the electro-
des which is highest at position
T2. If the dipole reaches an equal
distance between the electrodes, Potential difference
between electrodes
the potential difference passes
the zero line and becomes high-
est at position T4, which means Fig.9: The model of a wandering electrical dipole on muscle fiber membranes. Adopted &
modified from 7, p. 73
the shortest distance to electrode
2.
This model explains why the monopolar action potential creates a bipolar signal within the differential
amplification process. Because a motor unit consists of many muscle fibers, the electrode pair “sees” the
magnitude of all innervated fibers within this motor unit - depending on their spatial distance and resolu-
tion. Typically, they sum up to a triphasic Motor unit action potential (“MUAP”, - 2), which differs in
form and size depending on the geometrical fiber orientation in ratio to the electrode site (Fig. 10):

Motor Endplate Action Potentials:

1
α motoneuron +
2
Muscle
Fiber +
3
Detection
Site +

Superposed signal of Fig.10: Generation of the

the whole motor unit triphasic motor unit action
potential. Adopted &
modified from 2, p. 68

ABC of EMG – A Practical Introduction to Kinesiological Electromyography Page 9

Composition of EMG Signal

Superposition of MUAPs
25 mathematically generated MUAPs
In kinesiological studies the motor unit action
potentials of all active motor units detectable
under the electrode site are electrically su-
perposed (Fig. 11) and observed as a bipolar
signal with symmetric distribution of positive
and negative amplitudes (mean value equals
to zero). It is called an Interference pattern.

Recruitment and Firing Frequency ∑

The two most important mechanisms influenc-

Superposed signal
ing the magnitude and density of the observed
signal are the Recruitment of MUAPs and their Fig.11: Superposition of MUAPs to a resulting electromyogram.
Adopted & modified from 2, p. 81
Firing Frequency.
These are the main control strategies to adjust the contraction process and modulate the force output of
the involved muscle. Because the human connective tissue and skin layers have a low pass filter effect on
the original signal, the analyzed firing frequency e.g. of a surface EMG does not measure the original firing
and amplitude characteristics. For simplicity, one can say that the EMG signal directly reflects the recruit-
ment and firing characteristics of the detected motor units within the measured muscle (Fig. 12):

Motor Unit Firing

MU 1
Motor Unit Recruitment

(3 Hz)

+
MU 2
(4 Hz)

+
Voltage (mV)

MU 3
( 6 Hz)

+
M4
(8 Hz)

=
Fig.12: Recruitment and
firing frequency of motor
Superposed units modulates force
Surface Signal output and is reflected in
the superposed EMG
signal. Adopted & modified
from 7, p. 75
1

ABC of EMG – A Practical Introduction to Kinesiological Electromyography Page 10

Nature of the EMG Signal

The “raw” EMG signal

An unfiltered (exception: amplifier bandpass) and unprocessed signal detecting the superposed MUAPs is
called a raw EMG Signal. In the example given below (Fig. 13), a raw surface EMG recording (sEMG) was
done for three static contractions of the biceps brachii muscle:

Active Rest
Contraction Burst Period
Non reproducible
amplitude spikes
Microvolts

Base Line

time (ms)

Fig.13: The raw EMG recording of 3 contractions bursts of the M. biceps br.

When the muscle is relaxed, a more or less noise-free EMG Baseline can be seen. The raw EMG baseline
noise depends on many factors, especially the quality of the EMG amplifier, the environment noise and the
quality of the given detection condition. Assuming a state-of-the-art amplifier performance and proper skin
preparation (see the following chapters), the averaged baseline noise should not be higher than 3 – 5 micro-
volts, 1 to 2 should be the target. The investigation of the EMG baseline quality is a very important checkpoint
of every EMG measurement. Be careful not to interpret interfering noise or problems within the detection ap-
paratus as “increased” base activity or muscle (hyper-) tonus!

The healthy relaxed muscle shows no significant EMG activity due to lack of depolarization and action poten-
tials. By its nature, raw EMG spikes are of random shape, which means one raw recording burst cannot be
precisely reproduced in exact shape. This is due to the fact that the actual set of recruited motor units con-
stantly changes within the matrix/diameter of available motor units: If occasionally two or more motor units
fire at the same time and they are located near the electrodes, they produce a strong superposition spike. By
applying a smoothing algorithm (e.g. moving average) or selecting a proper amplitude parameter (e.g. area
under the rectified curve), the non- reproducible contents of the signal is eliminated or at least minimized.

Raw sEMG can range between +/- 5000 microvolts (athletes!) and typically the frequency contents ranges
between 6 and 500 Hz, showing most frequency power between ~ 20 and 150 Hz (see chapter Signal Check
Procedures).

ABC of EMG – A Practical Introduction to Kinesiological Electromyography Page 11

The Influence of detection condition
Factors influencing the EMG signal

On its way from the muscle membrane up to the electrodes, the EMG signal can be influenced by several ex-
ternal factors altering its shape and characteristics. They can basically be grouped in:

1) Tissue characteristics 1) Normal condition

The human body is a good electrical conductor,

Skin
but unfortunately the electrical conductivity var-
ies with tissue type, thickness (Fig. 14), Active muscle
=> Given Raw --EMG
EMG((µVolt
µVolt))

physiological changes and temperature. These

conditions can greatly vary from subject to sub- 2) Adipositas
Adipose

ject (and even within subject) and prohibit a di-

rect quantitative comparison of EMG amplitude
Subcut. Fat tissue
parameters calculated on the unprocessed => Decreased overall amplitude
Active muscle
EMG signal.
Fig.14: The influence of varying thickness of tissue layers below the elec-
trodes: Given the same amount of muscle electricity, condition 1 produces
2) Physiological cross talk more EMG magnitude due to smaller distance between muscle and electrodes

Neighboring muscles may produce a significant amount of EMG that is detected by the local electrode site.
Typically this “Cross Talk” does not exceed 10%-15% of the overall signal contents or is not available at all.
However, care must been taken for narrow arrangements within muscle groups.
ECG spikes can interfere with the EMG recording, especially when
performed on the upper trunk & shoulder muscles. They are easy to
see and new algorithms are developed to eliminate them (see ECG
Reduction).

3) Changes in the geometry between muscle belly and electrode

site
Any change of distance between signal origin and detection site will Fig.15: Raw EMG recording with heavy ECG
interference
alter the EMG reading. It is an inherent problem of all dynamic
movement studies and can also be caused by external pressure.

4) External noise
Special care must be taken in very noisy electrical environments. The most demanding is the direct interfer-
ence of power hum, typically produced by incorrect grounding of other external devices.

5) Electrode and amplifiers

The selection/quality of electrodes and internal amplifier noise may add signal contents to the EMG baseline.
Internal amplifier noise should not exceed 5 Vrms (ISEK Standards, see chapter “Guidelines…”)
Most of these factors can be minimized or controlled by accurate preparation and checking the given
room/laboratory conditions.

ABC of EMG – A Practical Introduction to Kinesiological Electromyography Page 12

Skin Preparation
General considerations
The quality of an EMG measurement largely depends on a proper skin preparation and electrode positioning.
The main strategy of skin preparation is stable electrode contact and low skin impedance. Most modern
EMG-amplifiers are designed for skin impedance levels between 5 and 50 kOhm (between pairs of elec-
trodes). Usually it is necessary to perform some skin preparation before the electrodes can be applied.
There are no general rules for it and several possibilities to reach a good skin condition for EMG-
measurements exist. Especially for beginners, it will be beneficial to check the quality of the chosen method
by measuring the actual impedance resistance between electrodes with a regular multi-meter or specialized
impedance meters (see chapter Signal Check Procedures).
Another important consideration is the targeted test condition and exercise. If a somewhat static or slow mo-
tion movement is planned (e.g. a clinical muscle function test) and the basic analysis idea is qualitative (ampli-
tude changes in terms of more/less), a simple alcohol cleaning may be sufficient. If very dynamic conditions
with risk of movement artifacts (e.g. fast walking, running or other highly accelerated movements is planned),
a very thorough preparation is imperative.

Skin preparation procedures

The following procedures may be considered as steps to prepare the electrode application:

1) Removing the hair:

This is needed to improve the adhesion of the electrodes, especially under humid conditions or for sweaty
skin types and/or dynamic movement conditions.

2) Cleaning of the skin:

Method A:
Special abrasive and conductive cleaning pastes are available which remove dead skin cells (they produce
high impedance) and clean the skin from dirt and sweat.
Method B:
Alternatively, a very find sand paper can be used: A soft and controlled pressure in 3 or 4 sweeps usually is
enough to get a good result. Attention: Avoid any harm to the skin from rubbing too hard! The use of sand-
paper should be combined with an alcohol pad cleaning.
Method C:
The pure use of alcohol may be another alternative if used with a textile towel (that allows soft rubbing). This
latter method may be sufficient for static muscle function tests in uncompromised conditions.

Whichever skin preparation method and electrode application technique is used, when done properly, the
skin typically receives a light red color. This indicates good skin impedance condition.
ABC of EMG – A Practical Introduction to Kinesiological Electromyography Page 15