Effects of window size and load on estimated myoelectric signal power spectrum

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of window size on estimated surface myoelectric signal (MES) parameters in frequency domain. Seven healthy male subjects participated in this study. All subjects were required to perform a sustained isometric muscle contraction corresponding to 25, 50 and 100% of the Maximum Voluntary Contraction (MVC). MES was recorded by surface electrodes for a period of 6 s. Seven different window sizes (64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, and 4096 ms) were used to estimate the power spectrum. The results obtained showed that the window size has a significant effect on the estimated characteristic frequencies of the power spectrum. The minimum window size that can be used to estimate the power spectrum was found to be 0.5 seconds. The loading level was found to have a significant effect on the frequency domain characteristics. It was observed that the frequencies below the 75th fractile tend to shift upward as the load increases. The upward shift in higher frequencies (≥75th fractile) was reversed as the load reached MVC, which indicates that during a constant isometric contraction the shape of the spectrum changes as the force level is increased. The results obtained in this study show that the use of a single spectral variable such as the median frequency may not be sufficient for capturing all the spectral modifications of the MES.