Quantitative Electromyography

Abstract

AbstractThe discipline of electromyography (EMG) relies on the skillful application of a wide range of techniques, skills, and intuitions—all of which derive from practiced analysis of electrical signals recorded from muscle. A proper understanding of the available equipment as well as the current strategies to classify motor unit potentials (MUPs) and the muscles from which they are recorded as normal, neurogenic, or myopathic underlies EMG practice. This chapter reviews EMG electrodes, MUP characteristics, and a range of quantitative methods to characterize both MUPs and muscles to determine whether the muscle in question is normal or not in order to help the electromyographer achieve an accurate EMG interpretation.