A study of electromyographic signals during isometric hand pushing and pulling in a free posture

Two sets of isometric pushing and pulling experiments were performed by two male and two female susbjects. One set of experiments involoved isometric hand pushing and pulling in a standing erect posture, in which the thigh and pelvic regions of the subjects were braced to achieve the greatest strength. Another set of experiments involved isometric hand pushing and pulling in a free posture, in which the subjects elected their preferred postures to attain the largest strength at each of thred handle heights (low-66cm ; mid-109cm ; and high-152cm). It was shown from isometric pushing and pulling experiments in a standing erect poture that the rectus abdominis and the erector spinae muscles were acting as an antagonistic pair with respect to the L5/S1 intervertebral joint, and that the integrated EMG and the muscle force were linearly related. However, the relationships between the integrated EMG and the muscle force during isometric pushing and pulling in a free posture were not well-correlated. It is proposed that the integrated EMG results should be carefully interpreted for tasks of pushing and pulling at various handle heights.