Electrical muscle stimulation has emerged as a common therapy for treating pain and muscle soreness. EMS, when combined with other supportive treatments such as posture braces, exercise and a healthy diet, can give promising outcomes.
So what’s an EMS? How does it work? Who is suitable for using the therapy?
Let’s find out!
What Is Electrical Muscle Stimulation Treatment?
Electric muscle stimulation or EMS involves the use of electrical impulses to induce muscle contraction. Electrical Muscle stimulator therapy can help in improving muscle strength.
Let’s take a look at the human brain-signalling physiology. Your brain transmits an electric signal to your muscles, and in response, they contract.
EMS mimics this natural muscle stimulation process but in a different (mostly higher) intensity. A portable EMS device sends electrical impulses through an electrode to your motor nerves. This artificial, high-intensity impulse causes several muscle fibres to contract.
How Does Electrical Muscle Stimulator Therapy Work?
- The electrical impulses generated by EMS Muscle Stimulator engages Type 1 slow-twitch and Type 2 fast-twitch muscle fibres.
- Slow-twitch muscle fibres contract and relax slowly and contribute to muscle strength and endurance.
- Fast-twitch muscle requires extensive amounts of energy to contract. The relaxation and contraction of these fast-twitch muscles are quick, and therefore they tire easily.
- EMS therapy enhances blood flow, improves tissue perfusion and prevents lactic acid accumulation that can lead to muscle soreness.
Since the external electrical impulses override your central nervous system, it accelerates the rate of muscle contraction, improves muscle strength and endurance and facilitates muscle recovery.
Regular application of EMS therapy can alleviate pain and muscle soreness in various conditions, including arthritis, fibromyalgia, etc.
How To Use EMS Muscle Stimulator?
The modern EMS muscle stimulators feature a portable and lightweight design that you can carry anywhere and everywhere. Typically, an EMS kit comes with an electrode/ muscle stimulator pad that delivers the impulses into your muscles and an impulse generator.
- Ensure the skin where you want to apply the EMS therapy is clean and dry. Hair growth, dirt accumulation, moisturisers and oils can hamper the effects of the treatment.
- Place and secure the electrode pad on the target area.
- Now connect the electrode and impulse generator device. Usually, most modern designs feature a magnetic-hub connection.
- Switching on the EMS device sets the intensity and the rhythm of the impulses.
- Generally, the devices have a pre-programmed timer of 20-30 minutes. If you wish to continue the therapy further, it is recommended to get a 5 mins break before starting the next cycle.
What Are The Benefits Of EMS Therapy?
Following are the benefits of EMS Muscle Stimulator:
- Builds muscle strength
- Accelerates tissue healing
- Alleviates pain and muscle strain
- Retrains and activates weakened muscles
- Improves spasticity of the muscles and range of motion
- Reduces the chances of blood clot formation
- Prevents fluid-buildup
- Increases blood circulation in the targeted area
- Drug-free pain relief with no side effects
- Simple, portable and discreet design, perfect for home-based usage.
When Should You Use Electrical Muscle Stimulation Therapy?
EMS muscle stimulation offers pain alleviation and reduces muscle spasms in various conditions, including:
- Postural aches
- Lower back pain resulting from SI joint dysfunctions, improper posture, degenerative disc disease, bone degeneration, weakened muscles, etc.
- Sciatica
- Arthritis
- Fibromyalgia
What Are The Contraindications Of Using EMS Therapy?
Electrical Muscle Stimulator therapy should never be used in the following conditions:
- Pregnancy
- Individuals having an implanted electronic device such as a pacemaker or defibrillator. The EMS impulses might interrupt the impulses generated by these implanted devices.
- Having a history of severe cardiac arrhythmia, angina or heart failure
- Children below 12 years.
Also, if you have malignant tumours, open/wet wounds, burnt injuries, EMS therapy should be used only if permitted by your doctors.
How Long Should You Use EMS Therapy?
You can use the portable EMS therapy as many times as you wish. We suggest that you continue the therapy for an entire 20-30 minutes (depending on the pre-programmed module)
If you wish to repeat therapy, ensure to give some time (3-5mins) for the targeted muscle to rest before you repeat. Generally, after repeating a few cycles, you should start experiencing relaxed muscles with more circulation flowing to the area.
Is There Any Risk Associated With EMS Therapy?
Typically, electronic muscle stimulation treatment has no side effects. However, in very rare cases, you might experience certain adverse effects. Additionally, although rare, these side-effects are mostly experienced in professional setups where a direct current source or high voltage impulse generation is required.
Skin Irritation Due To Muscle Stimulator Pad Adhesive
The muscle stimulator pads have adhesives for establishing a secured contact with the skin. If you’ve sensitive skin, you might feel mild irritation in the initial stages. Generally, these adhesives are skin-friendly. A soothing lotion or ointment can help reduce the irritation.
Contact a dermatologist in case of rashes or persisting irritation.
Tissue Burn
Excessively high-intensity electrical stimulation may lead to burns. This is a rare occurrence, mostly in a professional setup. In case you get a tissue burn, stop the procedure immediately. Ensure appropriate skincare.