Computed myography: three-dimensional reconstruction of motor functions from surface EMG data

We describe a methodology to qualitatively and quantitatively determine the activation level of individual muscles by voltage measurements from an array of voltage sensors on the skin surface. A physical rnite element model for electrostatics simulation is constructed from morphometric data and numerical inversion techniques are used to determine muscle activation patterns. Preliminary results from experiments with simulated and human data are presented for activation reconstructions of three muscles in the upper arm (biceps brachii, bracialis, and triceps). This approach potentially offers a new clinical tool to sensitively assess muscle function in patients suffering from neurological disorders (e.g., spinal cord injury) and could more accurately guide advances in the evaluation of specific rehabilitation training regimens.

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