ACL Rehab with StimRx Powerstim 15R EMS Unit

Yano Anaya, Atlanta Personal Training Director at the Atlanta School of Massage recently came to visit to begin treatment with one of the units at StimRx. As he decribes in the video, Yano recently had ACL surgery on his left knee which left him immobile. The atrophy in his leg can be clearly seen in this video documenting his first use of the RX-8000, 16TP and 15R Powerstim units. It will be exciting to see how Yano progresses through his rehab with the help of Stimrx to get him back to his old self again. This guy is a beast in the gym and I really wish him a speedy recovery! 

StimRx Electronic Muscle Stimulation machines will get you back into action!

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Electronic Muscle Stimulator Studies

• J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Nov;25(11):3218-38. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318212e3ce.

  Electromyostimulation--a systematic review of the influence of training regimens and stimulation parameters on effectiveness in electromyostimulation training of selected strength parameters.

  Filipovic A, Kleinöder H, Dörmann U, Mester J.

  Source

  Muscle Function Laboratory, Institute of Sport Science and Sport Informatics, German Sport University, Cologne, Germany. andre.filipovic@gmx.net

  Abstract

  Our first review from our 2-part series investigated the effects of percutaneous electromyostimulation (EMS) on maximal strength, speed strength, jumping and sprinting ability, and power, revealing the effectiveness of different EMS methods for the enhancement of strength parameters. On the basis of these results, this second study systematically reviews training regimens and stimulation parameters to determine their influence on the effectiveness of strength training with EMS. Out of about 200 studies, 89 trials were selected according to predefined criteria: subject age (<35 years), subject health (unimpaired), EMS type (percutaneus stimulation), and study duration (>7 days). To evaluate these trials, we first defined appropriate categories according to the type of EMS (local or whole-body) and type of muscle contraction (isometric, dynamic, isokinetic). Unlike former reviews, this study differentiates between 3 categories of subjects based on their level of fitness (untrained subjects, trained subjects, and elite athletes) and on the types of EMS methods used (local, whole-body, combination). Special focus was on trained and elite athletes. Untrained subjects were investigated for comparison purposes. The primary purpose of this study was to point out the preconditions for producing a stimulus above the training threshold with EMS that activates strength adaptations to give guidelines for implementing EMS effectively in strength training especially in high-performance sports. As a result, the analysis reveals a significant relationship (p < 0.05) between a stimulation intensity of ≥50% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC; 63.2 ± 19.8%) and significant strength gains. To generate this level of MVC, it was possible to identify guidelines for effectively combining training regimens (4.4 ± 1.5 weeks, 3.2 ± 0.9 sessions per week, 17.7 ± 10.9 minutes per session, 6.0 ± 2.4 seconds per contraction with 20.3 ± 9.0% duty cycle) with relevant stimulation parameters (impulse width 306.9 ± 105.1 microseconds, impulse frequency 76.4 ± 20.9 Hz, impulse intensity 63.7 ± 15.9 mA) to optimize training for systematically developing strength abilities (maximal strength, speed strength, jumping and sprinting ability, power).

  
  

  J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Nov;25(11):3218-38. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318212e3ce.

  Electromyostimulation--a systematic review of the influence of training regimens and stimulation parameters on effectiveness in electromyostimulation training of selected strength parameters.

  Filipovic A, Kleinöder H, Dörmann U, Mester J.

  Source

  Muscle Function Laboratory, Institute of Sport Science and Sport Informatics, German Sport University, Cologne, Germany. andre.filipovic@gmx.net

  Abstract

  Our first review from our 2-part series investigated the effects of percutaneous electromyostimulation (EMS) on maximal strength, speed strength, jumping and sprinting ability, and power, revealing the effectiveness of different EMS methods for the enhancement of strength parameters. On the basis of these results, this second study systematically reviews training regimens and stimulation parameters to determine their influence on the effectiveness of strength training with EMS. Out of about 200 studies, 89 trials were selected according to predefined criteria: subject age (<35 years), subject health (unimpaired), EMS type (percutaneus stimulation), and study duration (>7 days). To evaluate these trials, we first defined appropriate categories according to the type of EMS (local or whole-body) and type of muscle contraction (isometric, dynamic, isokinetic). Unlike former reviews, this study differentiates between 3 categories of subjects based on their level of fitness (untrained subjects, trained subjects, and elite athletes) and on the types of EMS methods used (local, whole-body, combination). Special focus was on trained and elite athletes. Untrained subjects were investigated for comparison purposes. The primary purpose of this study was to point out the preconditions for producing a stimulus above the training threshold with EMS that activates strength adaptations to give guidelines for implementing EMS effectively in strength training especially in high-performance sports. As a result, the analysis reveals a significant relationship (p < 0.05) between a stimulation intensity of ≥50% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC; 63.2 ± 19.8%) and significant strength gains. To generate this level of MVC, it was possible to identify guidelines for effectively combining training regimens (4.4 ± 1.5 weeks, 3.2 ± 0.9 sessions per week, 17.7 ± 10.9 minutes per session, 6.0 ± 2.4 seconds per contraction with 20.3 ± 9.0% duty cycle) with relevant stimulation parameters (impulse width 306.9 ± 105.1 microseconds, impulse frequency 76.4 ± 20.9 Hz, impulse intensity 63.7 ± 15.9 mA) to optimize training for systematically developing strength abilities (maximal strength, speed strength, jumping and sprinting ability, power).
• In 2011, a study revealed that EMS may enhance pitching performance and recovery in baseball. Without EMS, pitchers need to find a balance between resting and active exercise. With EMS, blood can continuously flow into the muscles, reducing the risk of exhaustion. There are other studies that show positive effects of EMS on athletic performance such as helping athletes stay warmed up without fatiguing the muscles, while the validity of these claims have not been confirmed. There are coaches that use EMS training on elite athletes who compete in the Olympics.
• 2002 Oct;82(10):1019-30.

  Russian electrical stimulation: the early experiments.

  Ward AR, Shkuratova N.

  Source

  Department of Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University, Victoria 3086, Australia. a.ward@latrobe.edu.au

  Abstract

  Russian forms of electrical stimulation became popular to a large extent as a result of the activities of Kots, who claimed force gains of up to 40% in elite athletes as a result of what was then a new form of stimulation. He did not provide details of his published work, nor did he give references. Russian electrical stimulation became popular despite the lack of research in the English-language literature. No studies published in English examined whether the "10/50/10" treatment regimen (10 seconds of stimulation followed by 50 seconds rest, repeated for 10 minutes) advocated by Kots is optimal, and only one study addressed whether maximum muscle torque was produced at an alternating current frequency of 2.5 kHz. The few studies that compared low-frequency monophasic pulsed current and Russian electrical stimulation are inconclusive. This article reviews and provides details of the original studies by Kots and co-workers. The authors contend that these studies laid the foundations for the use of Russian forms of electrical stimulation in physical therapy. The authors conclude that there are data in the Russian-language literature that support the use of Russian electrical stimulation but that some questions remain unanswered.

Electronic Muscle Stimulators

I have decided to create a blog to share what I have been learning about Electronic Muscle Stimulator (EMS) units. I have been fascinated with these machines every since my physical therapist used one on me for a dislocated shoulder I had. It seems as if there is some very interesting history behind these machines and still a lot of unanswered questions about their effectiveness. I decided I would find out once and for all what the truth is. There are a lot of topics to discuss, so I will be breaking down my research into different posts. Some of these posts will include EMS for strength, recovery, and rehab. I will also be writing about TENS and pain relief and some new and exciting uses I have discovered.