Lab-04

Title

Electromyography (EMG) and Its Significance in

Human Factor Engineering

Introduction:
What’s EMG: Electromyography (EMG) is an electrodiagnostic medicine technique for
evaluating and recording the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles.

Purpose of EMG: EMG be analyzed to detect medical abnormalities, activation level, or

recruitment order, or to analyze the biomechanics of human or animal movement. EMG testing
has a variety of clinical and biomedical applications. EMG is used as a diagnostics tool for
identifying neuromuscular diseases, or as a research tool for studying kinesiology, and disorders
of motor control. EMG signals are sometimes used to guide botulinum toxin or phenol
injections into muscles. EMG signals are also used as a control signal for prosthetic devices such
as prosthetic hands, arms, and lower limbs.

Phenomenon: (A) Unrectified surface EMG activity during spontaneous spasms in a patient with
chronic axial rigidity (stiff man syndrome) and positive anti-GAD antibodies, and (B) in a patient
with rigidity of the distal lower limbs (stiff limb syndrome) who was anti-GAD antibody
negative.

Devices Used:
i. MYO Armband: This is a band that we can wear on our hand and this gives us data
in real time.

ii. EMG Dual Muscle Monitor: The Myo Dual is a unit that is a dual channel EMG that
feature touch screen displays as well as a USB connection to a PC for data collection
and real time graphic signal display.

iii. Pelvic Floor Simulator: Healthy, fit and strong pelvic floor is important to men and
women. Weak pelvic floor can give rise to many unpleasant health conditions and
lead to deterioration in quality of life.

iv. Computer Electromyograph Nurovisor

 v. MYO True Electromyography

Procedure:
Electromyography (EMG) is a diagnostic procedure to assess the health of muscles and the
nerve cells that control them (motor neurons).

Motor neurons transmit electrical signals that cause muscles to contract. An EMG translates
these signals into graphs, sounds or numerical values that a specialist interprets.

An EMG uses tiny devices called electrodes to transmit or detect electrical signals.

During a needle EMG, a needle electrode inserted directly into a muscle records the electrical
activity in that muscle.

A nerve conduction study, another part of an EMG, uses electrodes taped to the skin (surface
electrodes) to measure the speed and strength of signals traveling between two or more
points.

EMG results can reveal nerve dysfunction, muscle dysfunction or problems with nerve-to-
muscle signal transmission

Study of EMG:
There are three results of EMG
i. Normal:
The EMG recording shows no electrical activity when the muscle is at rest. There is a
smooth, wavy line on the recording with each muscle contraction.
The nerve conduction studies show that the nerves send electrical impulses to the
muscles or along the sensory nerves at normal speeds, or conduction velocities.
Sensory nerves allow the brain to feel pain, touch, temperature, and vibration.
Different nerves have different normal conduction velocities. Nerve conduction
velocities generally get slower as a person gets older.

ii. Abnormal:
Electrical activity in a muscle at rest shows that there may be a problem with the
nerve supply to the muscle. Abnormal wave lines when a muscle contracts may
mean a muscle or nerve problem, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), post-
polio syndrome, inflammation, or other muscle problems.
 In nerve conduction studies, the speed of nerve impulses is slower than what is
normal for that nerve. Slower speeds may be caused by injury to a nerve or group of
nerves. Nerve conduction velocities generally get slower as a person gets older..

Significance in HFE:
 Improve health in a workplace of severe environment conditions.
 Training too for athletes.
 Thalmic labs (allows users to control computer, toys, etc)
 In health facility used for: breathing irregularities, Cardiac rhythm abnormalities, muscle
weakness, numbness, muscle pain, cramping, paralysis, etc

Conclusion:
In this lab we had a brief session about electro myography