Exploring knowledge, perception, and use of surface electromyography in physiotherapy post graduate trainees in Italy: a single center preliminary survey.
Gianluca Bertoni, Gaia Leuzzi, Mirko Job and 2 others
PMID 39502556WHAT IT FOUND
Most surveyed physiotherapists rarely use surface electromyography, viewing it as a research tool rather than a clinical resource.
Despite postgraduate training, few felt their practical skills improved, citing a lack of hands-on experience and inadequate undergraduate preparation as key barriers to adoption.
Key findings
01Only 3.2% of respondents reported using surface electromyography in clinical practice, while 96.8% did not.
02The majority of participants considered surface electromyography more important for research than for clinical practice.
03Postgraduate theoretical training did not significantly improve most respondents' perceived proficiency or clinical application of the technique.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study sampled only one specific cohort of postgraduate students from a single university, limiting generalizability to the wider physiotherapy population. The survey instrument was not validated for reliability or content validity. The study did not investigate practical barriers such as equipment costs, workflow integration, or user-friendliness. The training received by participants was purely theoretical, which may explain the lack of perceived skill improvement rather than the tool's inherent utility.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was not funded by any external commercial source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that surface electromyography lacks clinical value based on this survey. The findings reflect a lack of effective practical training and familiarity among the respondents, not necessarily the inefficacy of the technique itself.