A comparison in man of the performance of two types of surface electrode used for electromyography

Two types of surface electrode commonly used for electromyography, one a silver disc applied to the skin, the other a platinum wire hook inserted just into the skin, were compared by determining the amplitude of the surface representation of single motor units. Experiments were performed on the masseter muscle and a small muscle of the hand. The technique employed involved simultaneous recording from a needle electrode, used to detect the discharge of single units, and from the two types of surface electrode. No difference was found between the effectiveness of the two.