EMG Evaluation of Passive Assist Suit for Prolonged Postural Retention

Abstract

This paper reports the results of surface EMG analysis aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the Piano Wire Assist Suit in reducing low back pain. The EMG measurement experiment measured surface EMG of the erector spinae muscles while the patient was in a forward leaning posture for 2 minutes. Amplitude component analysis compared IEMGs with and without assistance. The results showed that the IEMG was significantly reduced by wearing the suit. This confirmed the effect of muscle force reduction in reducing low back pain. In the frequency component analysis, the MPF was calculated every 30 seconds. The results showed that there was no significant difference in MPF during the final 30 seconds between conditions. However, the difference between conditions in MPF during postural maintenance showed an increasing trend.