Abstract

Electromyography (EMG) is defined as the discipline related to the detection, analysis and use of the electrical signal that is generated when a muscle contracts. The electromyographic signal is based on the action potentials of the muscle fiber that result from the processes of depolarization and repolarization in the cell membrane. Two main parameters stand out among the different forms of analysis of the electromyographic signal: The amplitude and frequency of the signal. From the amplitude the level of muscle activation (percentage of activation) can be determined and the time it takes a muscle to activate (latency). On the other hand, with analysis of the frequency of the electromyographic signal, the level of muscular fatigue can be determined from the electrophysiological point of view. In injury and/or pathological conditions it has been shown that normal neuromuscular patterns of movement have been altered, either in their levels of activation, recruitment order, muscle latencies and/or levels of fatigue. Therefore, the use of EMG in rehabilitation sciences, have contributed to the understanding of the neuromuscular patterns used in the execution of different motor gestures and to the understanding of the possible causes and consequences of an injury and/or dysfunction on the behavior electrophysiology of the muscle. This has helped to guide the planning of muscular training programs for a specific injury and/or pathology during the rehabilitation process.