Electrode Size and Placement for Surface EMG Bipolar Detection from the Brachioradialis Muscle: A Scoping Review

The brachioradialis muscle (BRD) is one of the main elbow flexors and is often assessed by surface electromyography (sEMG) in physiology, clinical, sports, ergonomics, and bioengineering applications. The reliability of the sEMG measurement strongly relies on the characteristics of the detection sys...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2021-11, Vol.21 (21), p.7322
Main Authors: Merlo, Andrea, Bò, Maria Chiara, Campanini, Isabella
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bioengineering
Bone surgery
brachioradialis
Crosstalk
Elbow
electrode placement
Electrodes
Electromyography
Ergonomics
Flexors
Forearm
Guidelines
Humans
Investigations
Muscle function
Muscle, Skeletal - physiology
Muscles
Physiology
Reliability
Reproducibility of Results
Review
Sensors
surface electromyography
upper limb
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Summary:The brachioradialis muscle (BRD) is one of the main elbow flexors and is often assessed by surface electromyography (sEMG) in physiology, clinical, sports, ergonomics, and bioengineering applications. The reliability of the sEMG measurement strongly relies on the characteristics of the detection system used, because of possible crosstalk from the surrounding forearm muscles. We conducted a scoping review of the main databases to explore available guidelines of electrode placement on BRD and to map the electrode configurations used and authors' awareness on the issues of crosstalk. One hundred and thirty-four studies were included in the review. The crosstalk was mentioned in 29 studies, although two studies only were specifically designed to assess it. One hundred and six studies (79%) did not even address the issue by generically placing the sensors above BRD, usually choosing large disposable ECG electrodes. The analysis of the literature highlights a general lack of awareness on the issues of crosstalk and the need for adequate training in the sEMG field. Three guidelines were found, whose recommendations have been compared and summarized to promote reliability in further studies. In particular, it is crucial to use miniaturized electrodes placed on a specific area over the muscle, especially when BRD activity is recorded for clinical applications.
ISSN:1424-8220
1424-8220
DOI:10.3390/s21217322