major components has been demonstrated for disorders such as stress ... learned disuse disorders, sensory motor amnesia, repetitive strain injuries, stroke,.
1
Peper, E. (2010). Foreword: Surface electromyography makes the invisible visible; the unfelt felt; the unseen seen; the unmeasured measured. In Peper, E., Tsujishita, M., & Nakagawa, T. (eds). (2010). Electromyographic Biofeedback. Kyoto, Japan: Kinpodo Publishing Co, i‐ ii. ISBN 978‐47653‐1434‐3 Foreword-SEMG makes the invisible visible; the unfelt felt; the unseen seen; the unmeasured measured “SEMG makes the invisible visible; the unfelt felt; the unseen seen; the unmeasured measured.” -Erik Peper (2010) Surface electromyography (SEMG) is a powerful assessment and biofeedback training procedure that is an essential tool for physical therapists. As physical therapist, Glenn Kasman (2002), a leading authority on the clinical use of surface electromyography, states: “EMG recording is noninvasive and painless. Clinicians incorporate SEMG to take much of the guesswork out of assessing muscle function.” SEMG an effective tool to document the evidence based approach in physical therapy. Efficacy based treatments require that treatment and intervention procedures are documented. SEMG is a powerful tool to assessment and document pre and post treatment effects. SEMG can identify a number of dysfunctional muscle patterns which occur beneath the awareness of the therapist and client. The SEMG make the invisible visible; the unseen seen. SEMG is one of the tools that should be part of every physical therapist assessment and teaching tools as it allows diagnosis and assessment as well as document clinical outcome. SEMG biofeedback is a valuable tool for every physical therapist because it quantifies and documents the dynamic muscle activity. As an assessment and training procedure it monitors the electrical activity of muscles during a task performance (Peper et al, 2008). This allows both quantifiable measures of muscle dysfunction and training to regain appropriate function. The SEMG is sensitive enough to pick-up subtle changes of muscle activity which may not be observed during a manual or behavioral assessments. SEMG is for the physical therapists what functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is for the physician. It measures dynamic muscle activity and captures changes as they occur in real time without delay. It makes the invisible visible, the unseen seen, the undocumented documented. Besides as an evaluative tool, SEMG is used for training and teaching motor control. Patients can become aware of their own muscle dysfunction and the influence that emotional, cognitive and environmental factors have over their muscle activity. With SEMG feedback they can learn and control their muscle activity to optimize muscle movement patterns for optimum health. SEMG biofeedback training allows voluntary control and mastery. The possibilities of voluntary control are remarkable ever since Prof. John V. Basmajian (1963) showed that with appropriate feedback, participants could be trained to control single motor units. This meant that they learned control over a single motor unit in their body enervated by a single motor neuron. The clinical
2 applications of SEMG with the portable electronic equipment is wide ranging since it emerged out of the research laboratories in the 1960s. Physical therapy has incorporated SEMG biofeedback training for enhancing peak performance in sports and music to muscle rehabilitation following a stroke. Successful clinical treatment approaches in which SEMG is a major components has been demonstrated for disorders such as stress disorders, insomnia, anxiety, headaches, urinary incontinence, vulvadynia, muscle dysregulation, muscle pains, dysponesis, learned disuse disorders, sensory motor amnesia, repetitive strain injuries, stroke, cerebral palsy, dystonia, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, temporomandibular disorders (Yucha & Montgomory, 2008; Cram, 2003; Cram, Kasman, & Wolf1998). SEMG is a powerful monitoring and feedback technology and an integral tool for physical therapy. However like any technology, many factors affect appropriate recording, clinical application and integration within other physical therapy approaches. Basmajian JV. (1963). Control and training of individual motor units. Science, 141:440-441. Cacioppo JT, Tassinary G and Fridlund AJ. (1990). The skeletomotor system. I: Cacioppo, J.T.&Tassinary G (eds), Principles of Psychophysiology, New York, Cambridge University Press. Cram, J. (2003). The History of Surface Electromyography. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback , 28 (2), 81-91 Cram, J.R., Kasman, G.S. & Wolf, S.L. (1998). Clinical Applications in Surface Electromyography. Gaithersburg: Aspen Publications. Kasman, G.S. (2002). Using Surface Electromyography. Rehab Management The Interdisciplinary Journal of Rehabilitation. http://www.rehabpub.com/ltrehab/12002/5.asp Peper, E., Tylova, H., Gibney, K.H., Harvey, R., & Combatalade, D. (2008). Biofeedback Mastery-An Experiential Teaching and Self-Training Manual. Wheat Ridge, CO: AAPB. Yucha, C. & Montgomery, D. (2008). Evidence-Based Practice in Biofeedback and Neurofeedback 2008. Wheatridge, CO: Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.
