Electrical Muscle Stimulation Research Paper Finds Value in Recovery

By Giovanni Ciriani

U.S. Managing Partner for Globus

The European Journal of Applied Physiology recently released a study titled "Does electrical stimulation enhance post-exercise performance recovery?"

This excellent article reviews recent research in electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) use for recovery. More than 40 articles are sifted for evidence and the methodologies are compared to clarify the effectiveness of EMS. The conclusion is that although there are no benefits for performance, EMS is a valid alternative to decrease soreness. I have corresponded with one of the authors, Nicola A. Maffiuletti, PhD, who has performed and published research on electrical muscle stimulation for over 15 years, and contributed more than 70 articles to the field. His research is top notch, and so is this article.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21847574:

Eur J Appl Physiol. 2011 Aug 17.

Does electrical stimulation enhance post-exercise performance recovery?

Babault N, Cometti C, Maffiuletti NA, Deley G.

Source

Centre d'expertise de la Performance, Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Université de Bourgogne, BP 27877, 21078, Dijon Cedex, France, nicolas.babault@u-bourgogne.fr.

Abstract

Elite sport requires high-volume and high-intensity training that inevitably induces neuromuscular fatigue detrimental for physical performance. Improving recovery processes is, therefore, fundamental and to this, a wide variety of recovery modalities could be proposed. Among them, neuromuscular electrical stimulation is largely adopted particularly by endurance-type and team sport athletes. This type of solicitation, when used with low stimulation frequencies, induces contractions of short duration and low intensity comparable to active recovery. This might be of interest to favour muscle blood flow and therefore metabolites washout to accelerate recovery kinetics during and after fatiguing exercises, training sessions or competition. However, although electrical stimulation is often used for recovery, limited evidence exists regarding its effects for an improvement of most physiological variables or reduced subjective rating of muscle soreness. Therefore, the main aim of this brief review is to present recent results from the literature to clarify the effectiveness of electrical stimulation as a recovery modality.

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Comments

[lose weight]

That's a good research, a good breakthrough indeed.