Multifractal analysis of surface EMG signals for assessing muscle fatigue during static contractions

This study is aimed at assessing muscle fatigue during a static contraction using multifractal analysis and found that the surface electromyographic (SEMG) signals characterized multifractality during a static contraction. By applying the method of direct determination of the f(alpha) singularity spectrum, the area of the multifractal spectrum of the SEMG signals was computed. The results showed that the spectrum area significantly increased during muscle fatigue. Therefore the area could be used as an assessor of muscle fatigue. Compared with the median frequency (MDF)-the most popular indicator of muscle fatigue, the spectrum area presented here showed higher sensitivity during a static contraction. So the singularity spectrum area is considered to be a more effective indicator than the MDF for estimating muscle fatigue.