What is Electrical Muscle Stimulation?
What Is EMS?
E.M.S. is an acronym for Electrical Muscle Stimulation. This is a very effective method for therapists to prevent weakening muscle and muscle loss after surgeries or an injury. Electrical Muscle Stimulation helps increase blood flow to muscles, helps increase muscle range of motion, Which in turn will facilitate muscle development and strength. EMS can also pain management attributes in regards to muscle related pain, such as a spastic muscle, sore muscles, or tight muscles. A TENS device is more suited for nerve related pain conditions (acute and chronic conditions).
While using the EMS, the brain sends a nerve impulse to the “motor point” of your muscle. This signal is a message to the muscles to expand and contract. Electrodes are placed over the motor points of the muscle group to be exercised. When the stimulation is applied through the pads, the signal finds its way to these motor points and causes the muscle to expand and contract. This makes it possible to duplicate a conventional exercise, similar to an isometric exercise.
During an exercise, your brain sends a message down the spinal cord through the nerves with all the muscles you’re using that causes them to relax and contract. This is called voluntary muscle action. Your brain is controlling the muscle.
Electrical muscle stimulation uses an outside electrical source that stimulates the nerves to send signals to your muscle to expand and contract. This is done by sending electrical current through self adhesive electrodes placed over the muscle. The current passes through your skin to the nerves in that area, causing the muscle to expand and contract.
Studies have shown that EMS stimulates large nerve axons (long outgrowths of a nerve cell body), some of which you cannot stimulate voluntarily. It is possible that EMS might allow for additional muscle hypertrophy (increased development of tissue by enlargement, without multiplication of cells).
EMS can increase muscle hypertrophy (growth), endurance and strength. EMS may be used only for this or with regular weight training by aiding recovery and helping muscles grow and get stronger. EMS can increase body temperature, heart rate and metabolism (promoting energy and fat absorption from the body).
How Does EMS Work?
Normally when you perform an exercise, your brain sends a message through your spinal cord to nerves indicating muscles to contract. EMS uses electrical impulses to stimulate the nerve axons.These impulses reach the nerve axons, signaling the muscles to contract and relax rhythmically as instructed by the EMS unit. EMS actually stimulates muscles that you can not normally exercise voluntarily. This allows you to train muscles that may normally have little activity.
Will EMS Improve My Physical Appearance?
EMS is widely used by bodybuilders and other athletes as a supplement to strength training. Olympic athletes have been utilizing EMS to enhance their training for over twenty years. EMS is used to increase muscle tone and endurance. For best results, many bodybuilders use EMS in conjunction with working out. A rhythmic pumping of the muscles, produced by the EMS unit, helps deliver nutrients and oxygen to the muscles. Concurrently, waste products such as lactic acid are pumped out of the muscles. This increased blood flow to the muscles cuts down on recovery time and promotes healthy muscle activity. Bodybuilders also frequently use EMS for the relaxation of muscle spasms. EMS provides an increase in range of motion, which reduces the chance of injury. Men and Women are increasingly using EMS to enhance their appearance by toning their abdominal and chest muscles.