Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS), also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or electromyostimulation, is a procedure that induces muscle contraction by directly stimulating motor neurons with electrical impulses. A home EMS unit (such as a Powerdot, Compex, Tone-A-Matic, or MarcPro) is a device that provides this service.
This stimulation induces muscular contractions that may be rapid and frequent, rapid with extended pauses, or maintained for numerous (uncomfortable) seconds or minutes.
How it works
During EMS, a trainer (or, more commonly, a physical therapist) attaches tiny pads called electrodes to an athlete’s skin. The electrodes, connected to an e-stim machine, cause muscles to contract by stimulating them with low-level electrical currents. Depending on how high the machine is set, the feeling can range from a little tingle and minimal muscle movement to considerable pain and complete twitching. Let us set the scene if you’ve never experienced it during a workout.
Your trainer applies electrodes to your back using tape. He or she quickly adjusts a dial and shoots 100 milliamps of electricity into your lats. You wobble to the pulldown station, grip the bar, and pull with all your might while wincing. You can nearly smell your back muscles roasting after 30 seconds.
Benefits of E-Stim
Our bodies are incapable of distinguishing between voluntary and electrically triggered contractions. Using this principle as a foundation, electrical muscle stimulation is utilized during exercises to simulate what the brain accomplishes. This is accomplished by placing electrode pads in various areas of a muscle and stimulating muscular contraction with low-frequency electrical impulses.
E-stim is advantageous since it not only recruits new muscle fibers but also activates the inactive ones. Numerous sportsmen have disclosed that introducing e-stim into their training aided in developing more muscles compared to when they trained without e-stim.
Is it safe to do an EMS workout?
Not all EMS devices are 100 percent safe. If you receive EMS therapy from a physical therapist, they are educated in this technique and use FDA-approved, controlled equipment. According to the FDA, while using an unregulated product is not always risky or hazardous, it may cause burns, bruises, skin irritation, and discomfort.
The group also warns that these wires and cables might cause electrocution. Therefore, it is imperative that you inquire with the trainer or gym about their equipment and, if purchasing a device, conduct extensive research prior to clicking “add to cart.”
And if you have a defibrillator or pacemaker, the FDA recommends that you avoid EMS. Pregnant women should avoid e-stim, especially on their lower back or neck. This might harm the infant, as the opposite has not been demonstrated. Remember that supporting research has not yet caught up to EMS exercise training’s potential benefits.