Introduction to the Special Issue on Surface Electromyography (SEMG)

Abstract

During the past couple of years surface electromyography (SEMG), with a few exceptions, appears to have been in the doldrums. When Frank Andrasik, Editor of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, asked me as President of the Surface Electromyographic Society of North America (SESNA) to be the Guest Editor for a special issue of this journal I saw it as an opportunity to review the field and examine its current status. I must admit to being very pleasantly surprised as to what I found. SEMG is alive and thriving throughout North America. The number of different applications from a number of various disciplines was truly amazing. This shaped the nature of the special issue that follows. It became immediately apparent that there was much too much material for the available space. Thus, I decided to limit this issue to (a) the scientific basis of SEMG in the hope that this issue will serve as a resource manual and (b) to applications of SEMG that are unique. Fields involving neuromuscular retraining and incontinence training were thus excluded with a recommendation to Frank that another special issue be written concerning these topics. Initially the members of the Board of Directors of SESNA were invited to submit articles. When this was completed, I invited various individuals to submit articles. This latter process was based upon their recognized status in the field of SEMG and uniqueness of the applications. Space limitations precluded inviting all eminently qualified people. The invitations to submit are solely my responsibility. This issue is divided into two sections. The first section starts with an overview by Jeffrey Cram of the history of SEMG. The second article in this section, written by Gabe Sella, focuses on medical problems that affect the SEMG signal. Richard Sherman covers the basis of SEMG instrumentation, while my colleagues and I, Stuart Donaldson, Mary Donaldson, and Leslie Snelling, address SEMG assessment procedures. The second section covers some rather unique applications of SEMG. Jeffrey Bolek demonstrates how his research group uses SEMG to guide gait training in a pediatric population. Randy Neblett, Robert Gatchel, and Tom Mayer have contributed two papers, one discussing the theory and rationale for incorporating SEMG with stretching and the other providing a clinical guide and illustrative cases. The final two articles focus on the use of SEMG in ergonomics, with Robert Clasby, D. J. Derro, Leslie Snelling, and Stuart Donaldson demonstrating the use in