Integrated electromyography of the vastus medialis muscle after meniscectomy

Integrated electromyography (IEMG) is a valuable method for evaluating a muscle and documenting muscle rehabilitation. In a study of six adult males who had meniscectomies following tears of the medial meniscus, IEMG was performed to record the condition of the vastus medialis muscle preoperatively and at intervals (1 week, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months) after the operation. The evidence shows that at 3 months postoperatively, all patients had a normal range of motion, and the extension force of the quadriceps muscle had reached values of the control leg; but the IEMG relative to the extension force revealed that the vastus medialis portion of the quadriceps was far from restored and needed a significantly higher activity to produce the same force as it had in the control leg.