Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts spinal and supraspinal pathways, and this process is reflected in changes in surface electromyography (sEMG). sEMG is an informative complement to current clinical testing and can capture the residual motor command in great detail—including in muscles below the level of injury with seemingly absent motor activities. In this comprehensive review, we sought to describe how the sEMG properties are changed after SCI. We conducted a systematic literature search followed by a narrative review focusing on sEMG analysis techniques and signal properties post-SCI. We found that early reports were mostly focused on the qualitative analysis of sEMG patterns and evolved to semi-quantitative scores and a more detailed amplitude-based quantification. Nonetheless, recent studies are still constrained to an amplitude-based analysis of the sEMG, and there are opportunities to more broadly characterize the time- and frequency-domain properties of the signal as well as to take fuller advantage of high-density EMG techniques. We recommend the incorporation of a broader range of signal properties into the neurophysiological assessment post-SCI and the development of a greater understanding of the relation between these sEMG properties and underlying physiology. Enhanced sEMG analysis could contribute to a more complete description of the effects of SCI on upper and lower motor neuron function and their interactions, and also assist in understanding the mechanisms of change following neuromodulation or exercise therapy.

中文翻译：

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创伤性脊髓损伤后表面肌电图的特性：范围审查

创伤性脊髓损伤 (SCI) 会破坏脊髓和脊髓上通路，这一过程反映在表面肌电图 (sEMG) 的变化中。sEMG 是对当前临床测试的信息丰富的补充，可以详细捕获残余运动命令，包括损伤水平以下看似不存在运动活动的肌肉。在这篇综合综述中，我们试图描述 SCI 后 sEMG 特性如何变化。我们进行了系统的文献检索，随后对 SCI 后的 sEMG 分析技术和信号特性进行了叙述性回顾。我们发现早期的报告主要集中于表面肌电图模式的定性分析，并演变为半定量评分和更详细的基于振幅的量化。尽管如此，最近的研究仍然局限于基于振幅的表面肌电图分析，并且有机会更广泛地表征信号的时域和频域特性，以及更充分地利用高密度肌电图技术。我们建议将更广泛的信号特性纳入 SCI 后的神经生理学评估中，并更好地理解这些 sEMG 特性与基础生理学之间的关系。增强的表面肌电图分析有助于更完整地描述 SCI 对上运动神经元和下运动神经元功能及其相互作用的影响，并有助于理解神经调节或运动治疗后的变化机制。