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J Neurophysiol (July 23, 2008). doi:10.1152/jn.90570.2008
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Submitted on May 16, 2008
Revised on July 15, 2008
Accepted on July 17, 2008

Assessment of individual finger muscle activity in the Extensor Digitorum Communis by surface EMG

Joris N. A. L. Leijnse1*, Naira H Campbell-Kyureghyan1, Drew Spektor1, and Peter M Quesada

1 University of Louisville

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jnlei01{at}louisville.edu.

The Extensor Digitorum Communis (ED) is a slender muscle group in the dorsal forearm from which tendons arise to the index (D2), medius (D3), ring (D4) and little (D5) fingers. Limited independence has been attributed to the parts that actuate the individual fingers. However, in a detailed anatomical analysis it was found that the ED parts to the different fingers have constant and widely spaced anatomical locations that promote independent function. These observations and the superficial muscle belly locations prompted the hypothesis that these ED parts would be individually assessable by small anatomically placed surface EMG electrodes. In the present study, this hypothesis was evaluated by measuring EMG from the ED parts and surrounding muscles during individual finger tapping tasks with the forearm resting on a flat surface. It was found that individual ED activity can be well measured in ED2, ED3, ED4 and extensor digit minimi (EDM). ED3 did not give nor did its electrodes receive significant crosstalk from other ED parts. ED4 electrodes recorded an EMG level of 30±19% ED2 EMG in D2 tapping and ED2 electrodes a level of 53±22% ED4 EMG in D4 tapping, by hypothesis mostly crosstalk. EDM electrodes may record EMG at the level of ED4 EMG in D4 tapping. In D2 tapping, the mutual ED2 and extensor indicis redundancy reflected in large inter-subject EMG differences, with sometimes one or the other almost silent. The results may expand the possibilities of EMG analysis and finger muscle electro-stimulation in ergonomic and clinical applications.




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H. van Duinen, W. S. Yu, and S. C. Gandevia
Limited ability to extend the digits of the human hand independently with extensor digitorum
J. Physiol., October 15, 2009; 587(20): 4799 - 4810.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




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