
Electric muscle stimulation can relax back muscles, easing tightness and soreness in the lower back area. Some of the common uses of prescription EMS therapy include: There are however, some devices available for over-the-counter purchase and home use. When used for recovery, rehabilitation, muscle training, or pain relief, EMS and TENS devices are normally prescription-only and administered by professionals: for example, sports medicine physicians, physical therapists, or orthopedists. TENS therapy can issue electrical stimulation at different wavelengths for different purposes (relaxation, circulation, blocking pain) and can sometimes be performed at home, after the patient has been taught proper and safe use of the equipment. It’s used primarily for managing or blocking pain signals to the brain, and has been in regular use by doctors and physical therapists since the 1960s. adapting (training or “educating”) muscle fibers to certain patterns of response (e.g., contracts the fibers that are responsible for force, which results in building strength).Īnother form of e-stim therapy called TENS ( transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) works on nerves rather than muscles.slowing the process of muscle atrophy by strengthening weakened or unused muscles.improving strength by flexing and working weakened muscles.Increasing circulation (blood flow) to the affected tissue area, which aids in repair.This repetitive contracting and relaxing of the muscle has the effect of:

In this case, that something is a muscle contraction.ĮMS therapy creates steady electric impulses that stimulate muscle contractions-many of them over a sustained therapy session. When these impulses pass a threshold, the action potential is fired and something happens. Action potential is what we call it when a neuron (cell in the nervous system) transmits information (electrical impulses) along an axon (the thread-like conduit leading away from the neuron body, toward other cells). How Exactly Does E-stim Work?ĮMS therapy mimics the action potential that comes from the central nervous system. For example, a long-distance runner might use e-stim therapy as a complementary technique to train muscle fibers to resist fatigue.

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Some studies have indicated that e-stim can be targeted to create contractions in different types of muscle fibers, allowing athletes (with the guidance and help of professional sports therapists) to train injured or weakened muscles for particular functions and responses.
