Electrical Stimulation

Electrical stimulation or neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a technique used to elicit a muscle contraction using electrical impulses. Electrodes, controlled by a unit, are placed on the skin over a predetermined area. Electrical current is then sent from the unit to the electrodes and delivered into the muscle causing a contraction.

Contracting the muscle via electrical stimulation helps improve the way your affected muscle contracts. The physical therapist can change the current setting to allow for a forceful or gentle muscle contraction.

Along with increasing muscle function, the contraction of the muscle also promotes blood flow to the area. This helps the injury heal. NMES can also be used to help decrease muscular spasms by tiring out the muscle that is in spasm. This allows it to relax.

Those muscles also improve their strength through repeated cycles of contraction and relaxation. Electrical stimulation can also “train” muscles to respond to the body’s natural signals to contract. This is an especially helpful benefit for stroke survivors who must essentially relearn basic motor functions.

The type of electrical stimulation that focuses on pain relief sends signals on a different wavelength so they reach the nerves, rather than the muscles. Electrical stimulation can block pain receptors from being sent from nerves to the brain.

Some of the common uses of prescription EMS therapy include:

• Working weakened or atrophied muscles. Broken bones, soft tissue injuries, spinal cord injuries, neuromuscular disorders, stroke, and certain forms of illness can inhibit movement and exercise, causing muscles to become weak from disuse. Electrical stimulation can be used to keep these muscles active and prevent atrophy.

• Retraining muscles after surgery or illness. Occasionally, following orthopedic surgery or illness (such as a stroke), a patient may have difficulty contracting muscles at will. In such cases, electrical stimulation can be used for “muscle re-education.” The electrical impulses contract the muscle involuntarily. If the patient concentrates on voluntarily contracting this muscle during the therapy, the brain may re-learn how to do so without help.

• Aiding athletic recovery. Electrical stimulation active recovery program settings use specific low-level frequencies to increase blood flow, remove lactic acid, release endorphins, and promote muscle relaxation. Athletes working out at high intensity levels–who may be prone to intense cramping or spasms–may find this program beneficial. Endurance athletes, for example, may wish to work regular electrical stimulation sessions into their routines so they can keep their muscles loose and continue training without injury.

• Nerve injury: Used in treatment of nerve palsies like Bell’s Palsy, Common Nerve Palsy(foot Drop