The purpose of this study is to develop an objective pain-assessment system by utilizing electromyography and grip force to quantify pain of patients with low-back pain (LBP). As the pain includes the physiological and the psychological components, the electromyography (EMG) part of the system is used to assess the former while the force is used to evaluate the latter. After the EMG signal and the force recorded by the dynamometer are amplified and filtered, they are sampled and transmitted to a notebook in which the software for signal processing is developed. The surface EMG measurement and the dynamometer are non-invasive
in nature and convenient for the routine diagnosis in clinics. The interface of the software is user-friendly and the analysis is real-time and thus suitable for doctors or nurses who are not familiar with computer operation.
