Summary
A study was performed to investigate the existence of any distinction in the fatiguability of corresponding contralateral muscles in the hand as a function of hand dominance. The first dorsal interosseous muscle was studied. The median frequency of the myoelectric signal was employed to describe the fatigue behavior of the muscle. It was found that during sustained contractions the median frequency decreased faster in the non-dominant hand of right handed individuals, whereas, no statistically significant distinction could be found in left handed individuals. This distinction was evident in both male and female subjects. This study demonstrates that continued preferential usage of a muscle is associated with altered electrical properties of the myoelectric signal and that the median frequency of the signal provides an appropriate measure of the modifications. It is argued that the findings may provide an indication of modifications in the metabolic properties of muscle fibers induced by a lifetime of preferred functional use.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arendt-Nielsen L, Mills KR (1985) The relationship between the mean power frequency of the EMG spectrum and muscle fiber conduction velocity. EEG Clin Neurophysiol 60:130–134
Barnard RJ, Edgerton VR, Peter JB (1970) Effect of exercise on skeletal muscle. I: Biochemical and Histological properties. J Appl Physiol 28:762–776
Basmajian JV, De Luca CJ (1985) Muscles Alive (5th Ed) Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore
Bass L, Moore WJ (1973) The role of protons in nerve conduction. Prog Biophys Mol Biol 27:143
Beukelaar LJ, Kronenberg PM (1983) Towards a conceptualization of hand preference. Br J Psychol 74:33–45
Broman H, Bilotto G, De Luca CJ (1985) Myoelectric signal conduction velocity and spectral parameters: Influence of force and time. J Appl Physiol 58:1428–1437
Coogler CE (1983) Lateral differences in lower extremity preference and performance of healthy right-handed women. D. Sc. Dissertation, Boston University
De Luca CJ (1985) Myoelectrical manifestation of localized muscular fatigue in human. CRC Crit Rev Biomed Eng 11:251–279
De Luca CJ, LeFever RS, Stulen FB (1979) Pasteless electrode for clinical use. Med Biol Eng Comp 17:387–390
De Luca CJ, Sabbahi MA, Stulen FB, Bilotto G (1982) Some properties of the median frequency of the myoelectric signal during localized muscular fatigue. Proc. 5th International Symp. Biochem Exerc 175–186
Edstrom L, Ekblom B (1972) Differences in sizes of red and white muscle fibers in vastus lateralis of musculus quadriceps femoris of normal individuals and athletes, relative to physical performance. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 30:175–181
Fugl-Meyer AR, Eriksson A, Sjostrom M, Soderstrom G (1982) Is muscle structure influenced by genetical or functional factors? Acta Physiol Scand 114:277–281
Gilmore LD, De Luca CJ (1985) Muscle fatigue monitor (MFM): Second generation. IEEE Trans. Biomed Eng 32:75–78
Gollnick PD, Armstrong RB, Sanbert CW, Piehl K, Saltin B (1972) Enzyme activity and fiber composition in skeletal muscle of untrained and trained men. J Appl Physiol 33:312–319
Gollnick PD, Armstrong RB, Saltin B, Saubert CW 4th, Sembrowich WL, Shepherd RE (1973) Effect of training on enzyme activity and fiber composition of human skeletal muscle. J Appl Physiol 34:107–111
Jones DA, Bigland-Ritchie B, Edwards RTH (1979) Excitation frequency and muscle fatigue: mechanical responses during voluntary and stimulated contractions. Exp Neurol 64:401–413
Kiessling KH, Pilstrom L, Karlsson J, Piehl K (1973) Mitochondrial volume in skeletal muscle from young and old physically untrained and trained healthy men and from alcholoics. Clin Sci 44:547–554
Lawrence JH, De Luca CJ (1983) Myoelectric signal versus force relationship in different human muscles. J Appl Physiol: Respirat Environ Exerc Physiol 54:1653–1659
Lindström L (1970) On the frequency spectrum of EMG signals. Ph. D., Thesis, Chalmers Institute of Technology, Gotheburg, Sweden
Merletti R, Sabbahi MA, De Luca CJ (1984) Median frequency of the myoelectric signal: Effects of muscle ischemia and cooling. Eur J Appl Physiol 52:258–265
Morgan TE, Cobb LA, Short FA, Ross R, Gammana DR (1971) Effects of long-term exercise on human muscle mitochondria. In: Pernow B, Saltin B (eds): Muscle metabolism during exercise. Plenum Press, New York, pp 87–95
Morpurgo D (1897) über Aktivitas-Hypertrophie der willkürlichen Muskeln. Virchows Arch [Pathol Anat] 150:522–554
Muller EA (1970) Influence of training and of inactivity on muscle strength. Arch Phys Med 51:449–463
Orchardson R (1978) The generation of nerve impulses in mammalian axons by changing the concentrations of the normal constituents of extracellular fluid. J Physiol 275:177
Prince FP, Hikada FP, Hagerman HE (1977) Muscle Fiber types in women athletes and non-athletes. Pflügers Arch 371:161–165
Rosenthal RG, Sabbahi MA, Merletti R, De Luca CJ (1981) Possible fiber typing by analysis of surface EMG signal. Proc 11th Ann meeting of Soc Neuroscience, 683
Sabbahi MA, Merletti R, De Luca CJ, Rosenthal RG (1981) How handedness, sex, and force level affect the median frequency of the myoelectric signal. Proc 4th Ann Conf Rehab Eng 232–234
Schantz P, Henriksson J, Jansson E (1983) Adaptation of human skeletal muscle to endurance training of long duration. Clin Physiol 3:141–151
Sjodin B (1978) Lactate dehydrogenase in human skeletal muscles. Acta Physiol Scand [Suppl 436]
Stulen FB, De Luca CJ (1981) Frequency parameters of the myoelectric signal as a measure of muscle conduction velocity. IEEE Trans. Biomed Eng 28:515–523
Stulen FB, De Luca CJ (1982) Muscle fatigue monitor: A non-invasive device for observing localized muscular fatigue. IEEE Trans. Biomed Eng 29:760–768
Tanaka M, McDonagh MJN, Davies CTM (1984) A comparison of the mechanical properties of the first dorsal interosseous in the dominant and non-dominant hand. Eur J Appl Physiol 53:17–20
Tasaki I, Singer I, Takenaka T (1967) Effects of internal and external ionic environment on excitability of squid giant axon. J Gen Physiol 48:1095
Tesch P (1980) Muscle Fatigue in Man. Acta Physiol Scond [Suppl 480]
Tesch P, Karlsson J (1977) Lactate in fast and slow twitch skeletal muscle fibers in man during isometric contraction. Acta Physiol Scand 99:230
Tesch P, Sjudin B, Thorstensson A, Karlsson J (1978) Muscle fatigue and its relation to lactate accumulation and LDH activity in man. Acta Physiol Scond 103:413
Thormgren KG, Werner CO (1979) Normal grip strength. Acta Orth Scand 50:255–259
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Dr. Sabbahi is now with the Texas Woman's University School of Physical Therapy in Houston, Texas, USA
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
De Luca, C.J., Sabbahi, M.A. & Roy, S.H. Median frequency of the myoelectric signal. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 55, 457–464 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421637
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421637