Characterizing residual muscle properties in lower limb amputees using high density EMG decomposition: A pilot study

As research is progressing towards EMG control of lower limb prostheses, it is vital to understand the neurophysiology of the residual muscles in the amputated limb, which has been largely ignored. Therefore, the goal of this study was to characterize the activation patterns (muscle recruitment and motor unit discharge patterns) of the residual muscles of lower limb amputees. One transtibial amputee subject was recruited for this pilot study. The participant wore three high-density EMG electrode pads (8x8 grid with 64 channels) on each limb (a total of six pads) – one on the tibialis anterior (TA), medial gastrocnemius (MG), and lateral gastrocnemius (LG), respectively. The participant was asked to follow a ramping procedure plateauing at 50% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) for both the TA and Gastrocnemius muscles. The EMG signals were then decomposed offline; the firing rate and spatial activation patterns of the muscle were analyzed. Results showed slower and more variable firing rate in motor units of residual muscles than those of intact side. In addition, the spatial pattern of muscle activation differed between residual and intact muscles. These results indicate that surface EMG signals recorded from residual muscles present modified signal features from intact shank muscles, which should be considered when implementing myoelectric control schemes.