2022, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (35): 5707-5715

Hot topics and international frontiers of electromyography in the field of body movements

Liu Yang1, Zhu Zhiqiang2, Zhao Xiaowei1, Xiang Yujie1, Xiao Jian1, Cheng Lifen1   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Electromyography (EMG) is widely used in the measurement of human limb movement or muscle activity, and it has been widely recognized by experts and scholars in the fields of medicine, sports science, and ergonomics. However, review papers on the application of EMG in human limb movements are slightly insufficient.  
OBJECTIVE: To understand and comb the relevant EMG data in human limb movements from the Web of Science core database, attempting to further optimize the schematic design using EMG in human rehabilitation and ergonomics.
METHODS: Literature search with subject terms was performed in Web of Science Core Collection database based on Boolean logic operation. Search strategy was as follows: TS=“electromyography” OR “sEMG” OR “surface EMG” and “human movement” or “movement”. Included documents de-duplicated using the Citespace V were analyzed in terms of disciplines and countries. Hot topics and international frontier trends of relevant research were analyzed using the knowledge graph in terms of keywords, high citations, and co-citations.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Literature regarding the application of surface EMG in human limb movements is mainly published in the fields of neurology, engineering and sports science. Top three countries with the most publications are the United States, China, and Canada in order. (2) EMG application in human limb movement mainly focus on myoelectric control, chronic low back pain, corticospinal excitability, Parkinson’s disease, attentional focus, stroke survivor, anterior cruciate ligament injury, and muscle synergies. (3) International frontier research is divided into early frontier and modern frontier. Transition between the early and modern frontiers is from the fields of EMG control, EMG influencing factors and EMG algorithms to human-computer interaction and ergonomics (prosthetic rehabilitation). (4) EMG provides EMG parameter diagnosis in the fields of ergonomics, exercise biomechanics (muscle activation degree and time), evaluation of action mode, fatigue standard, and evaluation of rehabilitation training effects. There are significant differences in the recovery time, size and symmetry of trunk EMG in patients with stroke. EMG remains to be further studied in revealing the mechanism of unilateral limb resistance training in patients with stroke in response to activation of untrained limbs.
Key words: electromyography, body movement, SCI journal, SCI literature, frontier, hot spot, visualization