We evaluated and compared different methods of normalizing and analyzing electromyogram (EMG) data during short-term lightweight activity to identify the most suitable methodology. Surface EMG was obtained in five regions of the upper limbs in 10 elderly women (70-79 yrs old) and 10 young women (21-23 yrs old) during activities of daily living (ADL) such as skincare, eating, etc. The results suggested that %MVE (Maximal Voluntary Electrical activity) or %RVE (Reference Voluntary Electrical activity) is more sensitive for identifying differences in short-term, lightweight activity compared to %MVC (Maximal Voluntary Contraction). The results also clarified that exposure variation analysis (EVA) was the most suitable method to characterize the EMG obtained during ADL because EVA provided various types of muscle activity information.
