A Preliminary Review on EMG Signals for Assessment of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Disorder

Abstract

Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN) disorder is a neuromuscular disorder most commonly detected in type 2 diabetic patients. DPN is associated with extremely high blood sugar levels that cause nerve damage resulting in sensation loss beginning in the feet and eventually progressing upwards towards the knee and beyond. In this paper, we explore if the resulting muscle weakness can be detected through examination of electromyography (EMG) data recorded from leg muscles. DPN induced motor disability provides motivation for our work to understand the neuromuscular behavior and identify factors that could contribute towards treatment of neuromuscular disorders. Fifteen features that are extensively used for EMG signal classification were used in this study. We analyzed the features extracted from the recorded EMG signals and successfully detected abnormal contractions of muscles in the lower extremity during normal walking trials. Preliminary results of our research are presented in order to illustrate the effectiveness of the presented methodology.