Neuromuscular Functional Assessment in Low Back Pain by Surface Electromyography (SEMG)

Abstract

Background: Low back pain is a major occupational health issue and a leading cause of disability globally. Significant differences in Surface Electromyography (SEMG) have been reported between persons with Low Back Pain (LBP) and normal, healthy controls. Many studies reveal that when the trunk is in full flexion there is an electrical silence in back muscles referred to as “flexion-relaxation phenomenon.” It is often absent in individuals reporting LBP and particularly chronic LBP. There are several SEMG measures that describe this phenomenon. Objective: To evaluate muscle activity in acute and chronic LBP and the usefulness of quick and reliable procedures to demonstrate abnormal electromyographic activity of the spine erector muscles. Methods: We evaluated 40 subjects aged 25-65 years. For each participant, a clinical history regarding the presence of chronic or acute LBP was collected. Each subject was evaluated with SEMG measures of spine erector muscles during standing and prone position (for acute LBP), and flex-extension movement (for chronic LBP subjects). Superficial potential was recorded and compared between groups. Results: In all three procedures, differences were identified in the surface electromyographic activity between the healthy controls and the one affected by LBP. Conclusion: The study of normal and pathologic electromyographic patterns could be a valid means to support in an objective way the presence/absence of acute and chronic LBP.

Stretchable, Multifunctional Epidermal Sensor Patch for Surface Electromyography and Strain Measurements

“…Chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNLBP) is one of the most significant health problems worldwide and substantially affects individuals due to the high prevalence and cost. [9,[37][38][39][40] The FRP, [17,40,41] which represents a well-studied neuromuscular activity of the lumbar spine during trunk flexion, has been used as an important indicator clinically to distinguish CNLBP patients from healthy individuals. Figure 4d shows the schematic cartoon snapshots to illustrate the continuous postures of the subject during the experimental investigations of the FRP including I) stand straight, IIÀIII) begin to stoop, IV) full trunk flexion, and VÀVII) recover to the initial state.…”

“…As a noninvasive technique to record the muscle activities, surface electromyography (sEMG) has been widely used for humanmachine interactions (HMIs), [1][2][3][4] prostheses control, [5,6] and clinical evaluations of muscle functions. [7][8][9] The measurement of sEMG signals depends strongly on the sEMG electrodes adhered on the surface of the skin, which act as an electrical interface between the biological tissue and the external data acquisition circuit. However, the commonly used electrodes are insufficient to establish a robust, conformal interface for long-term collection of high-quality sEMG signals.…”

Classification of Electromyography Signal of Diabetes using Artificial Neural Networks

“…The inclusion criteria were non-diabetics (healthy), and diabetic subjects were male and female gender and aged 18 to 65. In this study, the exclusion criteria for subjects with a bad general health state were; stroke, Parkinson's disease, legs with (ulcer, gout, and disability), peripheral nervous system history, and severe muscular atrophy in lower limbs because that could interfere with electromyographic recording activity [24], [25]. Fig.…”

Case Report: Occupational therapy in a patient with an overgrowth syndrome that restricts movement

“…The aim of genetic research is to use ‘target therapies’, such as molecular inhibitors of the PI3K/AKT /mTOR pathway, currently used in oncology, which may slow down if not reverse the characteristic hyper-growth of these syndromes. Objective assessment of neuromuscular function can help the occupational medicine specialist to better evaluate global impairment and the presence of symptoms 5 .…”