The MerloBioEngineering team recently contributed to writing an article published in the Italian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine.
This paper, authored by a working group established by the Italian Society for Movement Analysis in Clinic (SIAMOC), results from a multidisciplinary collaboration between Physiatrists, Physiotherapists, and Bioengineers.
The paper, titled “Surface electromyography: a noninvasive approach for the analysis of muscle activity”, is available here.
Educational aims
The main aim of our article was to raise readers’ awareness of the clinical use of electromyography (EMG). We did it starting with the theory of signal origin and ending with a discussion of the main areas of use and different sampling techniques.
Again, we wanted to provide educational material, as well as relevant references to consult, to help clinicians who intend to approach this method to deepen their knowledge about surface EMG.
The experts addressed several key questions, as:
- What is the origin of surface electromyography? What information can it provide?
- What is the origin of the surface electromyogram? How does the surface electromyogram reflect muscle excitation?
- Are there guidelines regarding the performance of sEMG acquisition and registration?
- What is meant by Signal-to-Noise Ratio and why is it important?
- Who is involved in surface EMG in Italy?
Multidisciplinary nature of sEMG
Finally, this was an opportunity to talk again about the multidisciplinary approach that using sEMG requires.
Indeed, we emphasized the fundamental role of physiatrists, physical therapists, and neurologists on the one hand, and bioengineers on the other. The latters play a crucial role in improving the accessibility and usability of technologies by designing devices that are increasingly portable, ergonomic, and equipped with signal analysis algorithms and software.
Our EMG Easy Report sofwtare represents a perfect example of bioengineering collaborating with medicine, designing a user-friendly and intuitive end product.
If you are interested in learning more, you can contact us at the appropriate link.
