Noninvasive characterization of muscle structure, neuronal control and membrane dynamics

Since the conventional surface-EMG is highly affected by the structural and functional characteristics of the muscle, information about these characteristics is essential for a correct interpretation of the surface-EMG signal. An improved, noninvasive EMG procedure (HSR-EMG) provides this information in contrast to the standard surface-EMG. In this way, the HSR-EMG allows the determination of the muscle fibre orientation, the localization of the endplate region, the detection of the excitation spread and the calculation of the conduction velocity in single motor units as well as an investigation of the neuronal control of the muscle.