The cover of this Summer 2012 issue of Biofeedback shows the face of John, a four-year-old boy who learned to smile for the first time through biofeedback treatment. John's case is described by Jeffrey Bolek in the article “Habilitating a Smile” in this issue. The surface electromyography sensors used in his treatment are visible in the cover photograph.
The two special issues in this dual issue focus on the training of muscles through surface electromyographic (SEMG) biofeedback. John Basmajian pioneered biofeedback training-retraining of muscles in the 1950s. Ultimately, he showed that almost any human subject, with feedback, could learn conscious control over a single motor unit. Basmajian's research offered hope for the fields of physical therapy, neuromuscular rehabilitation, and pain management (Basmajian, 1967). This issue will give the reader some glimpses into where the state of the art is today in surface electromyography (SEMG) in both rehabilitation and...