Using sEMG Signal Frequency to Evaluate Post-Stroke Elbow Spasticity

Abstract

Spasticity is a motor disorder with high prevalence and critical consequences following a stroke. Reliable and sensitive measurements are important to guide the selection and evaluation of treatment strategies. Technology-assisted methods, such as the surface electromyography (sEMG) technique, have been developed to measure spasticity as sensitive and accurate alternatives to commonly used clinical scales. However, sEMG amplitude based measures may confound spasticity-induced muscle activities with other types of muscle contractions. This study thus introduces the idea of using sEMG frequency information to detect spasticity as a potential solution to overcome the limitations of existing sEMG based measures. The preliminary results of three patients demonstrate the possibility and future research directions for this approach.