Anatomical and electromyographic studies of the digastric muscle

The techniques and sites for EMG recordings from the digastric muscles are controversial. To re-evaluate old techniques for recording from the digastric muscles, especially the posterior bellies, the morphology of the muscles was studied by conventional dissections and by examination of specimens sectioned in the frontal and the horizontal planes. Based on these anatomical findings, recording sites and approaches to them were developed for the anterior and posterior bellies of the digastric muscles. EMG recordings from the two bellies of the muscle were obtained from five healthy subjects. The EMG recordings were ranked according to muscle activity level and the activity within single muscles and between muscles compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The anterior and posterior bellies had synchronized activity in all mandibular movements but were silent or had negligible activity with the mandible in the rest position, when the head was rotated, and while clenching. Both bellies had marked to very marked activity during jaw opening, and moderate to marked activity during protrusion, retrusion and lateral movements. During swallowing the anterior and posterior bellies had patterns characterized by bursts of activity of high amplitude and short duration. The two bellies were not, however, always synchronously active.