Seminars

Surface EMG Assisted Rehabilitation: Muscle Imbalance and Orthopedic Dysfunction Seminar

Workshop Description

Physical medicine practitioners routinely assess muscle activity while working with patients that suffer from pain and musculoskeletal dysfunction. Surface electromyography (SEMG) is the recording of a sum of muscle action potentials from the skin's surface, used as an indicator of muscle recruitment levels. Both the magnitude and timing pattern of muscle activity can be displayed on a screen along with the activity of certain muscle groups in relation to others. Recording is non-invasive and painless.

Clinicians incorporate SEMG information in order to take much of the guesswork out of assessing muscle function. Muscle activity can be objectified, quantified and documented during standard examination procedures while the patient is performing functional tasks. The efficacy of particular exercises and instruction in corrective movement patterns can also be assessed.

SEMG makes for a rich source of motor-learning information for patients. When using SEMG, patients gain access to muscle feedback that is far more impactful than that obtained with the intrinsic sense acting alone. This feedback helps patients learn to relax overly tense muscles, activate weak muscles or change the coordination pattern of agonistic, antagonistic and synergistic muscles.

This course will familiarize the participant with SEMG foundations as well as specific assessment procedures and interventions. SEMG will be used to identify and treat particular clinical syndromes involving imbalanced muscle activity. Applications cover a broad scope of situations including: athletic injury, repetitive strain and work injury, injury due to motor vehicle accident, chronic pain management, and other musculoskeletal problems.

The program includes lecture, demonstration and hands-on laboratory experience. The emphasis is on practical skills and clinical decision-making with SEMG. No prior experience with SEMG is required.