Question 1

What is EMS?

Accepted Answer

EMS stands for “electrical muscle stimulation”. EMS has received quite a bit of media attention in recent years for being an effective way to help people who have suffered from traumatic injuries regain use of their impaired limbs and as a way for athletes and others to warm up prior to working out. It has also found use as a way to help soothe sore aching muscles in the aftermath of a vigorous workout and as a general aid in training. While EMS may well help people warm up more effectively so they can optimize their workout efforts, EMS machines by themselves won’t create muscle growth but they can help "exercise" sleepy muscles. EMS machines are also often used in physical therapy and in Chiropractic practice to warm the muscles prior to adjustment. In the US, EMS machines are regulated by the FDA.

Question 2

Are muscle stimulators effective?

Accepted Answer

EMS is effective in helping people recover from injuries and surgery, warming-up prior to a workout, helping people relax, managing pain, and treating sore aching muscles in the aftermath of a strenuous workout. Many people also use the electrical muscle stimulation machine to help relieve pain and others as a way to help burn fat. Muscle stimulation can also help in the repair and recovery of joints that have been injured while playing sports. And EMS is being used to help those suffering from impaired movement (such as stroke victims) to prevent muscle atrophy and regain movement, if only on a limited scale.

Question 3

Do muscle stimulators help build muscle?

Accepted Answer

By themselves, muscle stimulation machines cannot encourage muscle growth. Why? Because muscle growth requires you to stress the muscle to the point that the muscle fibers actually tear. The body then moves in and replaces this torn muscle tissue with larger, stronger tissue. This tearing of the muscle is at least in part a result of working the muscle through the entire range of motion. Something an EMS machine simply can’t do. Electric muscle stimulation machines can, however, help you warm up more effectively and this, in theory, should enable you to get more from your workouts. Which of course means larger, stronger muscles.

Question 4

How long does TENS treatment last?

Accepted Answer

TENS is a kind of therapeutic treatment, rather than a way to enhance workouts (although there are those who have adapted it for that purpose). Therefore how long you experience benefits from a particular treatment will depend almost entirely on how aggressively you apply the TENS to the affected area and, of course, the nature of the affliction you are treating. That said, instances where TENS equipment actually resulted in damage from “overuse” are rare. So if you need to use the device several times a day there should be nothing stopping you from doing so.

Question 5

Who should not use a TENS unit?

Accepted Answer

As we mentioned, it’s unusual for TENS to result in actual physical damage, even when it is applied repeatedly over the course of the day and during any number of days in a row. However, there are some individuals who should not engage in this or any type of electrical stimulation without first consulting with their doctor, including: People with a pacemaker - It is likely that any type of electric therapy device will present problems for people with pacemakers. While there are some pacemakers on the market today that are not affected by such devices, they are still relatively small in number. Therefore, you should never use this or any EMS device if you have a pacemaker unless specifically cleared to do so by your doctor. Pregnant women - While the TENS device itself should present no threat whatsoever to the health of pregnant women, there have not been sufficient scientific studies conducted to be able to state with confidence that it poses no threat to the developing fetus. Therefore, the safe route is the right route and pregnant women should not use any type of EMS device. Those with epilepsy - Epilepsy is a neurological condition related to the way electrical impulses are processed by the brain. Therefore, many doctors believe it is theoretically possible that engaging in electrical muscle stimulation could somehow initiate an epileptic seizure. It should be emphasized that there is at this time no conclusive evidence that this would occur. But neither is there conclusive evidence that it would not. Lymphedema - Lymphedema is the result of a compromised lymphatic system and results in localized fluid retention in those affected. It’s thought that TENS treatment may aggravate lymphedema and perhaps result in ever greater amounts of fluid retention. Therefore those with lymphedema are advised to avoid electrical muscle stimulation machines.

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