Editorial Type:
Article Category: Other
 | 
Online Publication Date: Apr 01, 2014

Making the Unaware Aware: Surface Electromyography to Unmask Tension and Teach Awareness

PhD,
MSCT, BCB,
PhD, BCB, and
PhD, BCB
Page Range: 16 – 23
DOI: 10.5298/1081-5937-42.1.02
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Poor awareness of covert low-level muscle tension and poor ergonomics can result in chronic muscle bracing and the development of clinical symptoms. This article introduces a simple exercise to teach awareness and control of residual muscle contraction, presents evidence of its effectiveness, and concludes with a case study in which this exercise contributed to the treatment of severe pelvic girdle pain. The authors warn against becoming “captured” by tasks and adjusting to bad ergonomics, and emphasize the importance of enhancing somatic awareness to correct dysponesis before it results in pain and disability.

Keywords: dysponesis; ergonomics; pain; SEMG; muscle awareness;
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Figure 1.
Figure 1.

Lifting the hand without any awareness while mousing with the other hand.

Figure 2.
Figure 2.

Workshop participants rotating their bodies or chairs to perform the group exercise.

Figure 3.
Figure 3.

The sooner a person can become aware and begin a self-healing intervention, the more likely the person will be to maintain health and prevent discomfort (area labeled thoughts and emotions). Once the symptoms have developed, it is more challenging to return to health (area labeled initial awareness of discomfort).

Figure 4.
Figure 4.

Location of wide electrode placement to monitor the extensor muscles of the forearm.

Figure 5.
Figure 5.

Measurement of forearm extensor muscle awareness of minimum tension before and after feedback training.

Figure 6.
Figure 6.

EMG recording from forearm. Epoch 1 shows the muscular response to the initial explanation of forearm tension. Epoch 2 shows the SEMG activity during the actual task of minimum felt muscle tension, and Epoch 3 shows the ongoing muscle tension after the person thought she had relaxed after the minimal tension task.

Erik Peper

Annette Booiman

I-Mei Lin

Fred Shaffer

Contributor Notes

Correspondence: Erik Peper, PhD, Institute for Holistic Healing Studies, Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132, email: epeper@sfsu.edu; Web: www.biofeedbackhealth.org; blog: www.peperperspective.com.