Surface electromyogram recruitment analysis using higher order spectrum

Abstract

This paper proposes a new noninvasive method for electromyogram (EMG) recruitment analysis. The power and bispectrum have been utilized in estimating the properties of newly recruited neuromuscular unit (NMU) activity. A recursive procedure to estimate the newly recruited motor unit action potential (MUAP) waveforms and its occurring frequency in the incremental force generation scheme has been introduced. The method has been applied to the surface EMG data of normal biceps muscles as an illustrative example for confirming the practical feasibility of the method.