Perceptions of physical and occupational therapists on the utility of surface electromyography data in spinal cord injury rehabilitation
Nadeen Al Awamry, Laura Seidelin, Alyssa Marino, Ethan Evans, Elizabeth Karam, Vishwa Kumar, Kristin E. Musselman, Anita Kaiser, José Zariffa
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) impacts physical, emotional, and social well-being, contributing to decreased quality of life and increased healthcare burden. Surface electromyography (sEMG), a non-invasive tool for measuring muscle activity, has demonstrated potential as a biomarker for recovery in SCI research, yet remains underutilized in clinical practice.
Introduction
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a significant and escalating health concern in Canada, resulting in lifelong consequences for those affected and substantial costs to the healthcare system. SCI can be traumatic (TSCI) in nature, occurring from external force, or non-traumatic (NTSCI), caused by factors such as tumours, vascular injury, or degenerative diseases [1].
Methods
This study adopted a cross-sectional, qualitative, descriptive methodology [14], using individual semi-structured interviews, to explore how Canadian OTs and PTs perceived the use of sEMG in SCI rehabilitation.
Results
The study included 10 participants, the majority of whom were women and PTs Table 1. Participants represented three provinces in Canada and had a broad range of experience working with the SCI population.
Discussion
This study explored the perceptions of nine PTs and one OT regarding the utility of sEMG data in SCI rehabilitation. Drawing on their clinical experience, participants expressed their thoughts on the use of this technology in future practice.
Conclusion
PTs and OTs working with individuals with SCI perceive sEMG to be a potentially useful adjunct to their current treatment and assessment approaches. While they currently have limited experience using electrophysiological tools for assessment purposes, including sEMG, they are eager to learn more.
Citation: Al Awamry N, Seidelin L, Marino A, Evans E, Karam E, Kumar V, et al. (2026) Perceptions of physical and occupational therapists on the utility of surface electromyography data in spinal cord injury rehabilitation. PLoS One 21(6): e0351338. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351338
Editor: Andrea Tigrini, Polytechnic University of Marche: Universita Politecnica delle Marche, ITALY
Received: September 9, 2025; Accepted: May 26, 2026; Published: June 15, 2026
Copyright: © 2026 Al Awamry et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Data Availability: The dataset for this study cannot be shared publicly due to ethical and legal restrictions on sharing a de-identified dataset as per the terms of the informed consent approved by the University of Toronto Research Ethics Board (Protocol #47321). Data are available from the corresponding author, or the University of Toronto Research Ethics Board, via the contact information at https://research.utoronto.ca/ethics-human-research/research-ethics-boards.
Funding: This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN-2020- 06246). KEM is funded by the Canada Research Chairs Program. There was no additional external funding received for this study. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
