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Electromyography

  • Chapter
The Overactive Pelvic Floor

Abstract

Electromyography (EMG) can be a powerful tool to objectively assess muscle activation, and it has informed what we know about the pathophysiology of the overactive pelvic floor. The utility of EMG is, however, inextricably tied to its proper application, presentation, and interpretation. This chapter provides basic insights into where the EMG signal comes from, how to record meaningful EMG signals, and how to interpret EMG them in a way that can inform practice. We discuss studies that have advanced our understanding of the overactive pelvic floor through EMG investigations, and the effectiveness of EMG as a biofeedback tool.

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Abbreviations

CP/CPPS:

Chronic (nonbacterial) prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome

DSM:

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

EAS:

External anal sphincter

ED:

Erectile dysfunction

EMG:

Electromyography

Hz:

Hertz

ICC:

Intraclass correlation coefficient

MCID:

Minimal clinically important difference

ms:

Milliseconds

MUP:

Motor unit potential

MVC:

Maximum voluntary contraction

PFM(s):

Pelvic floor muscle(s)

sEMG:

Surface EMG

μV:

Microvolts

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada

    Evelyne Gentilcore-Saulnier B.Sc.(PT), M.Sc., M.D.

  2. School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Cindy Auchincloss BSc Kin BSc PT MScRHBSPhD(c) & Linda McLean B.Sc.(PT), M.Sc.(EE), Ph.D.

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  1. Evelyne Gentilcore-Saulnier B.Sc.(PT), M.Sc., M.D.
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  2. Cindy Auchincloss BSc Kin BSc PT MScRHBSPhD(c)
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  3. Linda McLean B.Sc.(PT), M.Sc.(EE), Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Linda McLean B.Sc.(PT), M.Sc.(EE), Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Urogynecology and Pelvic Floor Service, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel

    Anna Padoa

  2. Inner Stability, Ltd, Beit Shemesh, Israel

    Talli Y. Rosenbaum

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Gentilcore-Saulnier, E., Auchincloss, C., McLean, L. (2016). Electromyography. In: Padoa, A., Rosenbaum, T. (eds) The Overactive Pelvic Floor. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22150-2_12

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