title: Mechanomyography and muscle function assessment: a review of current state and prospects.
abstract: Previous studies have explored to saturation the efficacy of the conventional signal (such as electromyogram) for muscle function assessment and found its clinical impact limited. Increasing demand for reliable muscle function assessment modalities continues to prompt further investigation into other complementary alternatives. Application of mechanomyographic signal to quantify muscle performance has been proposed due to its inherent mechanical nature and ability to assess muscle function non-invasively while preserving muscular neurophysiologic information. Mechanomyogram is gaining accelerated applications in evaluating the properties of muscle under voluntary and evoked muscle contraction with prospects in clinical practices. As a complementary modality and the mechanical counterpart to electromyogram; mechanomyogram has gained significant acceptance in analysis of isometric and dynamic muscle actions. Substantial studies have also documented the effectiveness of mechanomyographic signal to assess muscle performance but none involved comprehensive appraisal of the state of the art applications with highlights on the future prospect and potential integration into the clinical practices. Motivated by the dearth of such critical review, we assessed the literature to investigate its principle of acquisition, current applications, challenges and future directions. Based on our findings, the importance of rigorous scientific and clinical validation of the signal is highlighted. It is also evident that as a robust complement to electromyogram, mechanomyographic signal may possess unprecedented potentials and further investigation will be enlightening.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of Ilorin, P. M. B. 1515 Ilorin, Nigeria. Electronic address: marufibitoye@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Morufu Olusola
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ibitoye
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: azah.hamzaid@um.edu.my.
authors.forename: Nur Azah
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Hamzaid
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Kiewit Fitness center 228, Omaha, NE 68178, United States. Electronic address: JorgeZunigaUlloa@creighton.edu.
authors.forename: Jorge M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Zuniga
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: khairi@um.edu.my.
authors.forename: Ahmad Khairi
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Abdul Wahab
mesh_terms: D061725:Accelerometry / Q000295:instrumentation; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D004566:Electrodes; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D009213:Myography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Electromyogram; Mechanomyogram; Muscle function assessment; Voluntary and evoked muscle contraction