Reliability of quadriceps surface electromyography measurements is improved by two vs. single site recordings

Purpose The reliability of surface electromyography (sEMG) is typically modest even with rigorous methods, and therefore further improvements in sEMG reliability are desirable. This study compared the between-session reliability (both within participant absolute reliability and between-participant r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of applied physiology 2017-06, Vol.117 (6), p.1085-1094
Main Authors: Balshaw, T. G., Fry, A., Maden-Wilkinson, T. M., Kong, P. W., Folland, J. P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Electromyography
Electromyography - instrumentation
Electromyography - methods
Electromyography - standards
Human Physiology
Humans
Knee
Male
Muscle Contraction
Muscles
Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine
Original
Original Article
Quadriceps muscle
Quadriceps Muscle - physiology
Sports Medicine
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Summary:Purpose The reliability of surface electromyography (sEMG) is typically modest even with rigorous methods, and therefore further improvements in sEMG reliability are desirable. This study compared the between-session reliability (both within participant absolute reliability and between-participant relative reliability) of sEMG amplitude from single vs. average of two distinct recording sites, for individual muscle (IM) and whole quadriceps (WQ) measures during voluntary and evoked contractions. Methods Healthy males ( n  = 20) performed unilateral isometric knee extension contractions: voluntary maximum and submaximum (60%), as well as evoked twitch contractions on two separate days. sEMG was recorded from two distinct sites on each superficial quadriceps muscle. Results Averaging two recording sites vs. using single site measures improved reliability for IM and WQ measurements during voluntary (16–26% reduction in within-participant coefficient of variation, CV W ) and evoked contractions (40–56% reduction in CV W ). Conclusions For sEMG measurements from large muscles, averaging the recording of two distinct sites is recommended as it improves within-participant reliability. This improved sensitivity has application to clinical and research measurement of sEMG amplitude.
ISSN:1439-6319
1439-6327
DOI:10.1007/s00421-017-3595-z