Contemporary linkages between EMG, kinetics and stroke rehabilitation

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Steven L Wolf, Emory University; Andrew John Butler, Emory University; Jay L Alberts, Georgia Institute of Technology; Min Wook Kim, Catholic University
• Language: English
• Date: 2005-06
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2005.01.002
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Electro - myography and Kinesiology
• ISSN: 1050-6411
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 3
• Start Page: 229
• End Page: 239
• Grant/Funding Information: Work presented in this paper is supported in part by Grant Nos. HD 37606 and 40984 from the National Institutes of Health and a grant from the Emory University Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research in Neurodegenerative Disorders.
• Research Categories: Biology, Neuroscience; Health Sciences, Rehabilitation and Therapy

Abstract

EMG and kinetic measures have been primary tools in the study of movement and have provided the foundation for much of the work presented in this journal. Recently, novel ways of combining these tools have provided opportunities to examine elements of motor learning and brain plasticity. This presentation reviews the quantification of EMG within the context of transcranial magnetic stimulation. This vehicle permits acquisition of measures that are fundamental to examining prospects for cortical reorganization among patients with stroke and employs a therapeutic approach called “constraint induced therapy” as a model to demonstrate the interpretation of changes in EMG measures among patients with stroke. Moreover, interfacing novel uses of kinetic measurements during functional task performances is highlighted to illustrate how EMG and kinetics can provide further insight into mechanisms related to reacquisition of movement and concomitant changes in plasticity. Clinicians and researchers interested in expanding their use of these measurement tools are encouraged to learn more about application possibilities.