Surface electromyogram-based detection of muscle fatigue during cyclic dynamic contraction under blood flow restriction

Surface electromyogram (SEMG) measurements employing a bipolar configuration are generally used to evaluate muscle fatigue. However, the changes in the SEMGs accompanying fatigue cannot be detected in some cases. We evaluated the differences in the detection of muscle fatigue during isometric and dynamic contraction between monopolar and bipolar configurations for measuring SEMGs. The results illustrated that the monopolar configuration is well suited for detecting waves slowed by muscle fatigue. In this study, the effectiveness of the monopolar configuration during dynamic contraction under blood flow restriction was verified. Our findings suggested that the monopolar configuration can detect changes in muscle fatigue with greater sensitivity than the bipolar configuration even under blood flow restriction.