Muscle Stimulation: Different Types Of Electrotherapies

Does the mention of the ‘electrical stimulation’ procedure sound painful to you?

While the concept of using electricity on the body may sound painful and horrifying, IT IS NOT SO in actuality. Instead, electrical stimulation has been proven extremely useful to ease pain and even helps build muscle strength! 

Read on to find out further what is electrotherapy.

WHAT IS ELECTROTHERAPY?

Electrotherapy, or electrical stimulation, otherwise also known as e-stim, is a physical therapy procedure that uses adhesive pads that deliver mild electrical impulses through the skin to help stimulate the nerve system and muscles at the targeted area. The electrical impulses mimic what occurs when someone contracts and releases a muscle naturally.

One of the biggest advantages of using electrotherapy is that it provides a non-invasive and safe alternative to manage pain that is drug free. Electrotherapy also has very few side effects in comparison to analgesic drugs and is non-addictive.

Electrotherapy treatments can vary in effect, waveform and frequency. It is important to understand the differences between each treatment. This article provides a brief explanation of two of the most common types of electrical stimulation; Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), and how they are used in nerve and muscle stimulation. 

2 COMMON TYPES OF ELECTROTHERAPIES

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

• TENS involves the stimulation of sensory nerves using electrodes that deliver pulses of electrical energy to reduce pain. Generally, TENS is used to treat chronic pain and nerve pain conditions.
• Tiny pulses are sent through the skin to nerves via electrodes that block the transmission of pain signals from reaching the spinal cord and brain. The pulses also stimulate the body to produce more natural pain-relieving chemicals called endorphins, improving the mood and increasing pain relief.
• It is worth noting that TENS is best used to treat localised pain, as opposed to large areas.

Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS)

• Also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or electromyostimulation, EMS is a type of electrical muscle stimulation therapy that elicits a muscle contraction using electrical impulses that directly stimulate your motor neurons.
• Also similar to TENS but designed to make the muscles contract strongly.
• Typically used by athletes, especially for muscle recovery.
• The pulses create muscle contractions that can be quick and frequent, fast with long pauses, or contractions that are held for several seconds or minutes at a time.
• Intended for strengthening muscles, increasing muscle size, improving muscular endurance, muscle contouring and accelerating muscle recovery.
• The coolest thing is that your body doesn’t know the difference between a voluntary contraction and an electrically stimulated one. Your body only recognizes that there is a stimulus and reacts to it accordingly.
• EMS has also been found to help the body lose fats, resulting in decreasing waist circumference, body mass index, subcutaneous fat mass (fat under the skin) and total body fat percentage.

BENEFITS OF ELECTROTHERAPY

Besides being a great non-invasive and safe alternative to pain-relieving medication, other benefits of electrotherapies include:

Enhances Fitness Levels

Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) can significantly improve the strength levels of trained and elite athletes, even if they already have high levels of fitness. This is promising news for those looking for an effective alternative to strength training. 

Tones the Body

Without modifying their exercise or diet, EMS has been shown to help improve the body tone and appearance of a group of young women involved in a study. It is worth noting that electrical stimulation is not a remedy for weight loss. Instead, it is an ideal solution for those who are close to their ideal weight but need help removing stubborn areas of fat. 

LOOKING TO IMPROVE OVERALL FITNESS AND BODY TONE?

If you are looking to remove fat and build muscles, or achieve your ideal body without surgery, you can find the right solution of therapy in TRUSCULPT, a muscle stimulator therapy and a popular type of body sculpting method currently offered at Premier Clinic.

With similarities to electrotherapy procedures, TRUSCULPT technology uses electromagnetic energy to encourage muscle growth and fat reduction and is a targeted treatment that can be used on different parts of the body to get the desired results.

The procedure of TRUSCULPT is quick and painless. An applicator is placed on the targeted muscle area, like your thighs, abs, arms, or buttocks. After that, the pad creates intense electro-focused waves which generate powerful muscle contractions and increase fat breakdown and muscle mass. 

Now, here’s what busy people like us would love to know!

It is estimated that a single 30 minutes of TRUSCULPT treatment is equal to 20,000 sit-ups or bends. 

if you are keen to explore further on this topic, we can help create muscle building treatment plan for you. 

We are available from 8am to 12 midnight DAILY.  We are available via Whatsapp (012-662-5552) or email (contactus@premier-clinic.com). It would be a great pleasure for us to answer your questions.  

References:

• https://premier-clinic.com/our-services/trusculpt-muscle-stimulator-therapy/
• https://premier-clinic.com/our-services/wonder-muscle-sculpt/
• https://www.healthline.com/health/pain-relief/e-stim#how-it-works
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-get-fit-using-electrical-muscle-stimulation-ems/
• https://vipitalia.com/blog/what-is-electrotherapy-how-it-works-on-muscles/
• https://myolyn.com/different-types-of-electrical-stimulation-the-name-game/