While it is true that lifting weights is the main mean to build muscles, e-stim can complement regular exercise to help specific muscle properties (maximum strength or endurnace). Actually the fact that e-stim is used by physiotherapists to rebuild atrophied muscles, implies that the muscles can be built by its use. Please read the book "Application of Muscle-Nerve Stimulation in Health and Disease (Springer, 2008)".
my understanding is that the frequency determines the level of contraction that is executed by the muscle, or lack thereof. So a very low frequency would produce a twitch contraction, which wouldn't be very comfortable to the pt. due to the increased level of impedance in the tissue. So ultimately isn't e-stim inherently unselective in what type of fibers it recruits, always recruiting large, type 2 fibers first? The frequency can only change the level of contraction .
EdmundoHillary, on the contrary, frequency is selective. Research shows that at low freq. you recruit slow-twitch type-I fibers; as freq. increases you recruit first type-IIa, and as the freq. increases you recruit type-IIb fibers. Current intensity is responsible for contraction intensity. In the case of Active Recovery that's beside the point anyway, because the benefit comes from pumping the muscle to flush out the by-products of strenuous exercise. You can e-mail me if you want.
You would fatigue fairly fast with this device it seems. When you use NMES, it recruits larger fast twitch fibers first, which fatigues you faster. Also, you must recruit all muscle fibers at once, not just once necessary for motion, as in a volitional contraction. I'm skeptical if this would help recovery any more than an active recovery that was a functional motion.
Research disagrees with your posting. Active recovery works at lower frequency 1-8 Hz, and does not activate fast-twitch fibers. This pulsating is very effective at flush out toxins produced during strenuous training. There are other 10 programs in this device, and those at higher frequency 50-100 Hz activate fast-twitch fibers.
e-stim is only a way to "tone" or heal overused muscle fibers. It doesn't BUILD muscle. For that we need to lift weights, do body excercises, etc.
861147 3 years ago
While it is true that lifting weights is the main mean to build muscles, e-stim can complement regular exercise to help specific muscle properties (maximum strength or endurnace). Actually the fact that e-stim is used by physiotherapists to rebuild atrophied muscles, implies that the muscles can be built by its use. Please read the book "Application of Muscle-Nerve Stimulation in Health and Disease (Springer, 2008)".
gciriani 3 years ago
my understanding is that the frequency determines the level of contraction that is executed by the muscle, or lack thereof. So a very low frequency would produce a twitch contraction, which wouldn't be very comfortable to the pt. due to the increased level of impedance in the tissue. So ultimately isn't e-stim inherently unselective in what type of fibers it recruits, always recruiting large, type 2 fibers first? The frequency can only change the level of contraction .
edmundohillary 3 years ago
EdmundoHillary, on the contrary, frequency is selective. Research shows that at low freq. you recruit slow-twitch type-I fibers; as freq. increases you recruit first type-IIa, and as the freq. increases you recruit type-IIb fibers. Current intensity is responsible for contraction intensity. In the case of Active Recovery that's beside the point anyway, because the benefit comes from pumping the muscle to flush out the by-products of strenuous exercise. You can e-mail me if you want.
gciriani 3 years ago
You would fatigue fairly fast with this device it seems. When you use NMES, it recruits larger fast twitch fibers first, which fatigues you faster. Also, you must recruit all muscle fibers at once, not just once necessary for motion, as in a volitional contraction. I'm skeptical if this would help recovery any more than an active recovery that was a functional motion.
edmundohillary 3 years ago
Research disagrees with your posting. Active recovery works at lower frequency 1-8 Hz, and does not activate fast-twitch fibers. This pulsating is very effective at flush out toxins produced during strenuous training. There are other 10 programs in this device, and those at higher frequency 50-100 Hz activate fast-twitch fibers.
gciriani 3 years ago