Electromyographic feedback to improve ankle dorsiflexion, wrist extension, and hand grasp.

Electromyographic feedback was used to train a patient with hemiplegia in the functional use of the muscles of his right upper and lower limbs. The patient trained with the therapist over a period of two and one-half months, engaging in exercises for ankle dorsiflexion, wrist extension, and hand grasp twice a week for one to one and one-half hours. Feedback was recorded with surface electrodes placed over the extensor surface of the forearm and the tibialis anterior; the electromyographic activity was displayed on a meter. After training, muscle control proved functional for walking, handwriting, and daily self-care activities.