Functional electrical stimulation for rehabilitation of a shoulder joint

Abstract

This study deals with experimental studies on electromyogram (EMG) measurements and functional electrical stimulation (FES) for the rehabilitation of a shoulder-joint. Based on the structure, motion, and main functions of the musculoskeletal system in a shoulder-joint, the muscles playing a major role for the motion in the sagittal plane were selected for the experiment. First, the surface electromyogram of the main muscles was measured according to the joint angle. The results showed that the change in the surface EMG was linearly proportional to the change in the joint angle. Second, the joint angle was measured during FES at shoulder muscles. The results showed that the joint angle increased as the FES current increased in a certain range of FES. It was confirmed that the willingness of muscles to move could be detected by measuring EMG and that the generation of muscle tension could be assisted by FES for active rehabilitation. © 2013 The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers.