In the past, electrostimulation was used almost exclusively as a treatment for conditions related to muscle strength loss: the effect was mainly stabilizing the muscle tissue, but also improving muscle strength, making electrostimulation fundamentally important in athletic performance training.
Even today, it is used as an effective method to treat muscle atrophy and injuries, prevent injuries, and improve athletic performance.
A muscle stimulator, using a small amount of generated energy, mimics the action from the central nervous system, forcing the muscles to contract. By altering the frequency, duration, and intensity of the impulse, it offers many possibilities, stimulating fibers that would otherwise be impossible to engage.
Physiotherapists, athletes, and trainers have been using electrostimulation for many years as an effective muscle development tool, an efficacy clearly demonstrated in scientific research.
Electrostimulation is even more effective when combined with conventional training methods: using electrostimulation, we can increase the load and engage more muscle fibers than with conventional training alone.
The main advantage of electrostimulation is the time saved: we can perform intense muscle training in the comfort of our home and work our muscles intensely in less time.
A muscle stimulator can be used for various purposes: to treat musculoskeletal pain and injuries, produce a relaxing effect, develop strength and build muscle volume, target specific muscles, improve speed and endurance, and adapt the current to the specific needs of the athlete. It allows muscle fibers to work when desired, improving explosive strength with specific programs, without the risk of injury. Even when suffering from an injury, the device can be used at home to work on other muscles. These results depend on the type of device, the generated current, intensity, frequency, program, pulse length, and rest period between contractions. There are also various stimulation devices for aesthetic use, to improve physical appearance, beauty, and cellulite treatment, using lipolysis, improving local circulation, and increasing muscle tone with specially designed programs.
There are muscle stimulators that incorporate all these uses, so why not buy one that serves all these purposes?
By using electrostimulation, we provide an electrical impulse to the tissue, and the motor neurons cause the muscle contraction: it is the neuron that generates the contraction.
Normally, it is our brain that generates an electrical impulse, which, once transmitted to the motor neuron, causes the contraction. The difference between electrostimulation and our brain is that, in the first case, the muscle stimulator generates the impulse, while in the second case, it is the brain. But in both cases, the motor neuron transmits the impulse to the muscle.
CONTRAINDICATIONS
The use of a muscle stimulator is prohibited in the following cases:
- In pregnant women;
- In developmental age (risk of juvenile heart attack);
- In patients with pacemakers (risk of interference with pacemaker activity) or implantable defibrillators;
- In cases of peripheral nerve disorders, muscle pathologies, and severe damage to bone and joint structures;
- In patients with joint prostheses and/or metal osteosynthesis and/or metal implants;
- In cases of severe heart disease;
- In patients with epilepsy, bone tumors, or severe hypertension;
- In people with serious systemic, debilitating, or dermatological conditions;
- In patients undergoing HF device treatments, as this could cause burns and damage the muscle stimulator itself;
- Near a shortwave or microwave therapy device, as this could cause instability in the output of the muscle stimulator;
- In unconscious patients or those unable to communicate;
- In people in psychophysical conditions that prevent exposure to external factors;
- In the presence of a flammable anesthetic mixture with air or oxygen or nitrous oxide;
- On the face, around the eyes, and genital area.
The use of electrostimulation is locally contraindicated in the following cases:
- In areas with inflammation, wounds, muscle strains or tears, dermatitis, bacterial infections, erythema, or irritations;
- In regions with muscle hernias;
- In regions with bone fractures;
- In regions with prostheses and osteosynthesis materials;
- In regions with varicose veins or vascular diseases;
- In areas with neoplasms;
- On mucous membranes;
- In the chest area in people with cardiac arrhythmias.
