Troubleshooting Dynamic sEMG

See previous page to confirm hardware is set up properly before proceeding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Make certain to have the patient perform three flexions in a row before taking data.
Show them how to perform the flexion, asking them to drop their head to reduce probability that lordosis is not reduced in flexion.
Make sure they stay in the flexed position UNTIL you tell them to stand up. This allows you time to mark their flexed position with the spacebar properly.
Press the Spacebar to begin the test, THEN tell them to begin the flexion. Do not press the spacebar AFTER telling them to begin the flexion.
Always mark flexion studies in "valleys" only both at full flexion, and neutral.
After pressing the spacebar, have them bend forward, and do NOT press the spacebar when they are fully flexed, but instead watch the screen for the readings to level off creating the "valley" and then press the spacebar (usually 2 seconds after they have reached full flexion. After pressing spacebar, immediately ask them to return to neutral.
At neutral, again do NOT press the spacebar but instead look at the screen to watch for the readings to level off in the "valley" and then press the spacebar (usually 2 seconds after they have reached neutral).
Make sure that timing-wise you have them moving fast enough to perform three flexions in the 30 second time window allowed for the three flexions. This makes the timing between all patients consistent.

If the patient can perform three flexions without pain, you simply are learning how to do the test properly. Press the CLEAR button to the far right, and redo the test.
If the patient is in severe pain, and cannot complete three tests then put this in your chart notes, and the data should show that the readings correlate with this pain, meaning that most likely there will be very high and erratic readings.
Oftentimes there is a "training effect" meaning that the patient needs to do the test once before becoming accustomed to it. Once they have gotten used to it, the second 30 second test is clear and consistent.

Performing the Lumbar Lateral Flexion and Rotation is advantageous in that the more data you have, the more information you have on your patient.
With lateral flexions and rotations, you are following the same procedure as above, but marking at "peaks" in full rotation or lateral flexion (the highest points reached) and then "valleys" in neutral.
Press the spacebar and start by having the patient perform a movement to the left (left lateral flexion, or left rotation). The software is set up so that you do lateral flexions first.
There is no need to wait the 2 seconds for the readings to stabilize when at the end of their range of motion. Simply hit the spacebar when at full Left Lateral Flexion for example. When they return to neutral, allow the readings to settle (typically 2 seconds) before pressing the spacebar. You can fit two lateral flexions on each screen, perhaps three.
To move from the lateral flexion screen to the Rotation screen, click the NEXT button to the far right on the screen.