Surface Electromyography in Clinical Practice. A Perspective From a Developing Country

Abstract

Surface electromyography (sEMG) has long been used in research, health care, and other fields such as ergonomics and brain-machine interfaces. In health care, sEMG has been employed to diagnose as well as to treat musculoskeletal disorders, pelvic floor dysfunction, and post-stroke motor deficits, among others. Despite the extensive literature on sEMG, the clinical community has not widely adopted it. We believe that in developing countries, such as Chile, this phenomenon may be explained by several interacting barriers. First, the socioeconomics of the country creates an environment where only high cost-effective treatments are routinely applied. Second, the majority of the sEMG literature on clinical applications has not extensively translated into decisive outcomes, which interferes with its applicability in low-income contexts. Third, clinical training on rehabilitation provides inadequate instruction on sEMG. And fourth, accessibility to equipment (i.e., affordability, availability, portability) may constitute another barrier, especially among developing countries. Here, we analyze socioeconomic indicators of health care in Chile and comment on current literature about the use of sEMG in rehabilitation. Then we analyze the curricula of several physical therapy schools in Chile and report some estimations of the training on sEMG. Finally, we analyze the accessibility of some available sEMG devices and show that several match predefined criteria. We conclude that in developing countries, the insufficient use of sEMG in health might be explained by a shortage of evidence showing a crucial role in specific outcomes and the lack of training in rehabilitation-related careers, which interact with local socioeconomic factors that limit the application of these techniques.

Development of Consumer-Friendly Surface Electromyography System for Muscle Fatigue Detection

“…Accordingly, the proposed EMG system was successfully fabricated using easily available and low-cost components; moreover, its circuit board was developed in-house, and the system is controlled with a smartphone. The list of commercial devices in Table 3 was refers based on the previous studies [4], [34]. Only MyoWare and our proposed system cost less than ¥10,000.…”

“…Only MyoWare and our proposed system cost less than ¥10,000. Although limited studies mention the market prices of the packaged EMG systems, some commercial products are significantly expensive, with prices ranging from approximately e15,000 to e20,000 (approximately ¥2,200,000 to ¥2,942,000) [3] or up to $20,000 (approximately ¥2,750,000) [4]. In contrast, several EMG sensors are sold in the market.…”

“…Batista et al [25] provided evidence validating BITalino, and the computation of the linear envelope resulted in a small difference and high correlation between the BITalino and reference device. Although the price for these specialized board infrastructure for EMG measurement is approximately $38 (approximatel ¥5,200) to ¥50,000 [4], no studies that employed wireless connectivity and post-processing on the smartphone were found.…”

“…However, they are typically expensive and not portable; moreover, the electrode and amplifier module are often wired. Some commercial EMG devices are reportedly expensive, with costs ranging from approximately e (EUR) 15,000 to e20,000 (approximately ¥(JPY) 2,200,000 to ¥2,942,000) [3] or up to $ (USD) 20,000 (approximately ¥2,750,000) [4]. For this reason, in several studies, a low-cost EMG system has been developed.…”

Control of Brushless Direct-Current Motors Using Bioelectric EMG Signals

“…Often, extensive therapeutic devices use data from other sensors, such as accelerometers, strain gauges, or markers, to reconstruct the displacement. As a result, the patient and therapist receive a full reflection of the progress made and the activities that need improvement [13]. Another area of use for muscle signals is assisted exoskeletons, which are designed to support a user's muscle strength.…”