Why is EMG biofeedback used in exercise therapy?

Small sensors placed on the skin detect electrical activity from a selected muscle. The device turns that activity into visual or audible feedback. Seeing the signal can help you recognise whether a muscle is contracting, relaxing, or working harder than intended. This is useful when movement is weak, poorly timed, or accompanied by unwanted tension.

A physiotherapist uses the feedback to shape an exercise: you may practise switching a muscle on, holding a contraction, relaxing fully, or coordinating it with nearby muscles. The display is a training aid, not a direct measure of strength and not a diagnosis by itself.

Wear clothing that allows access to the target area and tell the therapist if the sensor position feels uncomfortable. Focus on the movement goal rather than chasing a large signal. Keep breathing normally and use the therapist's instructions for effort, rest, and repetitions. As control improves, exercises may progress so that you can perform them without watching the screen.

Practise the home exercises exactly as taught, within tolerable limits. Report pain, cramping, unusual fatigue, or difficulty relaxing, because the programme may need adjustment.

Tell your clinician about new weakness, spreading numbness, loss of coordination, or pain that steadily worsens during exercise. Seek urgent help for sudden severe weakness, new loss of bladder or bowel control, or breathing difficulty. Skin irritation from adhesive sensors should be reported and the sensors removed as advised.

Which muscle or movement are we targeting? What should the feedback signal look and feel like during the exercise? How will you decide when I can progress to practising without the device?