Wearable to detect electromyographic changes in the trapezius muscle due to improper posture while sitting for long periods of time

Poor posture is one of the main causes of back pain, to the extent that maintaining this habit for a long time can lead to structural changes in the back and neck, even resulting in muscular deformation due to their weakening. Good posture is characterized by ensuring stable balance, low energy consumption, and minimal stress on anatomical structures, with a focus on the trapezius muscle for analysis. The trapezius muscle, located in the back, plays an important role in maintaining upright posture and is involved in movements such as lateral flexion and rotation of the head, as well as shoulder elevation and depression. Electromyography is used to measure its activity, which evaluates the bioelectrical activity generated during muscle contractions. In this project, electromyography is used in its superficial mode to observe the behavior of the transversalis portion of the trapezius muscle, as it controls a significant part of cervical and dorsal movement. The objective of this project is to develop a wearable proto- type to detect electromyographic patterns caused by incorrect sitting posture for extended periods. This will be achieved using resources such as 3D printing and an ESP32 microcontroller. Some of the parameters evaluated to detect muscle fatigue include peak-to-peak amplitude, which is expected to increase due to muscle compensation through recruiting additional motor units. The mean and median of the frequency spectrum are also analyzed, along with the conduction velocity of muscle fibers, which decreases during fatigue and affects the frequency of the electromyographic signal.