electric muscle stimulator

[amrbassiouny]

since i have some problems with my right knee, i won't be able to do any work on my quads and glutes (anything which has my knee going up or down).

i'm concidering alternatives and there doesn't seem to be anything which can keep my legs growing at the same pace the rest of my body is (i've grown 10 pounds in the last 5 weeks since i started).

then came up the idea of the electric muscle stimulator which my doc used a long time ago after removing a cast on my leg (to regain the muscle).

what do you think about this and is there anything i can get for around 100 US?

[liquidvet]

I used to use a muscle simulator in therapy(we call them a TENS unit) but I don't believe they can function to regrow muscle. Basically they stimulate muscle by causing them to contract so I imagine on greatly atrophied muscle it would rebuild it to an extent, as in your broken leg, but for anything more than that I don't know if there are truly successful devices. I remember an infomercial on a unit you could use on your chest, but these have been debunked quite some time ago. Bruce Lee used to be a big proponent of electrical muscle simulation but I think this was kind of debunked as being more myth than fact. If you wanted to try it though I think you would be hard pressed to find a decent machine for the price you are asking for. I believe ours were around 500 or so.

[amrbassiouny]

Originally posted by liquidvet
I used to use a muscle simulator in therapy(we call them a TENS unit) but I don't believe they can function to regrow muscle. Basically they stimulate muscle by causing them to contract so I imagine on greatly atrophied muscle it would rebuild it to an extent, as in your broken leg, but for anything more than that I don't know if there are truly successful devices. I remember an infomercial on a unit you could use on your chest, but these have been debunked quite some time ago. Bruce Lee used to be a big advocator of electrical muscle simulation but I think this was kind of debunked as being more myth than fact. If you wanted to try it though I think you would be hard pressed to find a decent machine for the price you are asking for. I believe ours were around 500 or so.

very informative. do i have any other alternatives?

[liquidvet]

Not that I know of, this was the extent of my knowledge, and I am not qualified(yet) to give you any medical advice. Maybe someone on here might be able to help you out. Sorry Good luck with a solution though.

[MiloMan]

I asked my sportsmed doc abut EMS last year, and he said that while it is useful for rehabilitating severely atrophied muscle (long time in a cast, and so forth), it has no real value when it comes to normally active muscle tissue, except to make money for the equipment manufacturer. In such cases, he said that resistance exercises (i.e. weightlifting) are the way to go.

Of course, he's just a sports medicine specialist that treats many Division I FB players, so what does he know...

[liquidvet]

They are also good for chronic pain patients that suffer from severe muscular tightness. I even like to borrow one every now and then because it is like getting a deep neuromuscular massage.

[hyp3r3xt3nsion]

there's a topic in Zatsiorsky's book on it. From what i remember, very controversial. Something like it *can* help, but you will lose/lack co-ordination in the muscle, so most don't.

[Impostor]

So does that mean my electronic ab blaster works?

[dookie1481]

I recall reading an interview w/ Jerry Rice in which he said he used one while rehabbing a fractured kneecap. I believe it was called the Compex muscle stimulator or something similar.

[lgp9999]

They work. I'll let ya guys in on a secret. I don't even lift. I just hook myself up to the 240v!






BTW: J/K; they don't work.

[hyp3r3xt3nsion]

Originally posted by lgp9999
They work. I'll let ya guys in on a secret. I don't even lift. I just hook myself up to the 240v!






BTW: J/K; they don't work.

lol

[BeerGut]

I used one in rehab after I blew my knee up and my leg turned to jello. I think it did expedite the healing process of the atrophied muscle, but as mentioned before I doubt it would have any effect on healthy muscle fiber.

[dosgunz]

Hi all,
I was injured in a foot race to the tune of a $7,000.00 (keep in mind this was 10 years ago) operation on my knee and still muscles were torn. I walked on crutches for 6 months, then cane for 3 then walked with a limp for 3 more. I started on the tens about 4 months after my operation. By the time the year was up I was my old self. At 50 years old I could run again. I am now reworking my entire body, including my back which sustained a 2 disc buldge. I am not sure how long it will take but I believe in Tens. Write me if you have any questions.

[|}373r/\/\1n3|)]

I asked my sportsmed doc abut EMS last year, and he said that while it is useful for rehabilitating severely atrophied muscle (long time in a cast, and so forth), it has no real value when it comes to normally active muscle tissue, except to make money for the equipment manufacturer. In such cases, he said that resistance exercises (i.e. weightlifting) are the way to go.

Of course, he's just a sports medicine specialist that treats many Division I FB players, so what does he know...

Agreed. One very important note to keep in mind, TENS units are used for pain control and NOT muscular re-education! EMS machines can have different settings (biphasic, russian, etc.) that will retrain atrophied/injured muscle fibers to contract which will help in the earlier stages of a rehabilitation program but very little benefit will be seen in otherwise healthy muscles.

[hercules71185]

You get the little ab shocker thing. and you put aloe gel or whatever you have that is viscus, and you put a little on the shocker. Slap it on someone when they are sleeping!!! It's awesome. A forearm freaks people out your hand clenches. Or a chest is hilarious way to wake someone up...

[-Lucifer]

Hi all,
I was injured in a foot race to the tune of a $7,000.00 (keep in mind this was 10 years ago) operation on my knee and still muscles were torn. I walked on crutches for 6 months, then cane for 3 then walked with a limp for 3 more. I started on the tens about 4 months after my operation. By the time the year was up I was my old self. At 50 years old I could run again. I am now reworking my entire body, including my back which sustained a 2 disc buldge. I am not sure how long it will take but I believe in Tens. Write me if you have any questions.

Strong post count and bump.

[brad52]

Strong post count and bump.

The research that I have done actually dis agrees with some of these post. I read an article of experiments conducted by scentists that states that" ems (electronic muscle stimulatio) can actually make your muscles reach limits that no conditional workouts can" it has been used for athletes from runners to body builders. In the article it had a work out plan combinded with ems that was said to work multiple times better. When you lift weights your muscles fibers roll like a wave but with ems it stimulates and contracts all the fibers at once and therefor builds the white and red fibers way mor than lifting. I am going to try the work out. I believe that the tens unit builds large amounts of mass and strength. If you do your research you can plainly find that runners and other athletes use ems to build, and have been since the 1950s and wasn't used in the west until 1973.

[ManVsIron]

My chiropractor has these things. You get about 20 mins of TENS treatment (along w/ other stuff - massage, stretching, etc.) before getting the actual adjustments. I always have them turn the machine up real high. I'm just laying there on the table, and my body is just twitching so violently. It only goes up to like '35'. I usually have them put it on like 32 or 33. First time I did this, I was worried that I'd have DOMS from H3LL in my traps and lower back. But, nothing of the sort, actually/surprisingly.

The Doc said it's only real benefit to me (if I were to get a personal unit, at home), would be that it may help promote recovery to some extent. If that's true or not, I have no idea. Maybe somebody can comment on that. Maybe this could be my SECRET WEAPON, that could launch me into national NPC stardom...