Electronic muscle stimulation (EMS) or electro myostimulation is a technique in which externally generated impulses are applied to a muscle site through an electrode, causing the muscle to contract. This process has several uses including rehabilitation, body building, weight loss and training of athletes. In this article, we discuss, Can electronic muscle stimulation help prevent injuries?
The impulses used in electronic muscle stimulation work in the similar manner in which the nerve impulses coming from central nervous system work(brain and spinal cord). The central nervous system coordinates the healing processes of the body and this is the reason why EMS can be used to heal and prevent injuries.
Sports and Every day injuries are mainly musculoskeletal in nature. The cause of such injuries is lack of strength and flexibility of the muscles and hence a limited range of motion. In fact the FDA approves the use of EMS in tackling the above.
EMS has been used by several communist countries in injury prevention training of the athletes since 1950s. It entered the western world in 1973, when Dr. Kots presented a paper on its potential in university of Montreal. The celebrated Olympic sprint coach, Charlie Francis also included it in his athletes regimes. It has been found that EMS can increase the strength by 40% in only three weeks.
This no boundaries training system works like magic.EMS targets the body muscles directly, forcing them to push beyond the energy conservation system of the body. Since this limit is crossed- an infinite amount of muscle fiber can be activated. This enables the athlete to attain a training effect which can not be replicated by any other training methods or their combination.
Apart from prevention of injury, EMS can also be used in preventing the atrophy (degeneration) muscles when they are denerved . However, the most common use that the EMS is put to is toning and building body.
It increases the muscle density and not the size hence making it what you would call rock hard . It is also prescribed to cure post operation muscle spasms. It has also been used as a substitute to prevent and cure central nervous system impairment.
However, EMS has several drawbacks. It works for only the larger muscle groups and not for the smaller ones (like the calves, biceps and triceps). Its use in injury prevention is limited to only a few areas. The FDA inhibits its use on many body parts like the chest and the brain. Further, the use of EMS is affected by the level of contraction of the body muscles. Hence it cannot be deployed during particular types of injuries, menstruation and pregnancy. Many cases of burns, skin irritations and other skin diseases have been reported. Also continued passing of current through the tissues can conflict with the physiology of the cells. Advice of a medical professional must be taken before using EMS in any form and for any purpose. Can electronic muscle stimulation help prevent injuries? The conclusive answer is yes but precautions must be taken.
Author Resource:-
EMS is a highly effective way to aid the healing of ligaments and tendons. The method was first developed in Russia, however Russian stim is more powerful due to voltage differences.
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