Investigating the Influence of Handedness on EMG Movement Features – A Frequency-Based Analysis

Abstract

Most individuals favor a select hand over the other while performing specific activities, which has led to an asymmetrical dominance. This is defined as handedness and it has been observed to have led to differences in the motor cortex and cervical spinal pathways of individuals. However, the effect of handedness on muscle activation patterns using an EMG has not been investigated in detail. Therefore, this article investigates how handedness influences EMG movement features during dominant and non-dominant limb movements in a healthy young right-handed male through a frequency-based approach. The EMG movement features were statistically evaluated to evaluate whether differences were observed between limbs. It was determined that several significant differences were observed when comparing the frequency arrays of EMG signals for a specific muscle between limbs for a given movement. This provides evidence for the impact of handedness on the amplitude spectra of an EMG signal. These findings can be applied to the development and design of prosthetics and other assistive devices that rely on EMG features for control and movement.