Electro Muscle Stimulation
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Electro-Muscle Stimulation' (EMS) is the concept whereby electric impulses mimic signals from the Central Nervous System and cause involuntary contractions of voluntary muscles. The muscle contractions can be harnessed according to specific protocols or programs that aim at different results: in the fields of medicine, sport, and fitness for aesthetic results. The efficacy of EMS devices for these uses has been researched and recognized for quite some time.
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[edit] Medicine
In medicine EMS is used for rehabilitation purposes. It has become a mainstream method prescribed by physicians and practiced by specialists for rehabilitation after injury. In this use a muscle atrophied during forced rest following an injury, can be helped to speed up muscle strength gain. Practitioners include Physiotherapists, Chiropractors and others. This should not be confused with TENS: the use of electric current in pain therapy, to trigger nervous responses that decrease or mask pain signals transmitted from an aching body part to the brain. There are several other types of electrotherapy that fall outside the definition of EMS.
[edit] Sport
It is also used to complement sport training. Although peer-reviewed studies in respected international magazines publish from time to time new research supporting benefits of EMS in sport training, acceptance has been patchy. In particular in Europe the use of EMS by elite and professional athletes has been more uniform, in the USA EMS is still regarded as snake oil. Prestigious US-based journals, like the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, or the Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise by the American College of Sports Medicine, have published research articles. However, reception of this technique by US professional sport trainers has been lukewarm at best; this is probably due to the scarce education in EMS methods that US sport trainers and academics receive. Undoubtedly claims of legitimate sport use have received a black eye from cheap devices riding the fad with overblown claims like “get six-pack abs while watching TV”. To be effective in sport use, an EMS device has to deliver a quality electric impulse, and it has to be used with correct settings; hardly the stuff that most devices in the market can deliver. This is implied by several studies, and discoveries about physiological reaction to current. Quite a lot of knowledge about the mechanisms of EMS have accumulated since the early significant studies at beginning of the 1900. Reputable and certified devices for professional sport training have been introduced since 2004 in the US market. These are used on the body parts for which sport training is sought and have a variety of programs for different training goals such as: maximum strength (similar to weight training), explosive strength (for training the execution of fast sport movements), resistance, endurance and recovery (which decrease the delayed onset of muscle soreness, aka DOMS).
[edit] Fitness and Aesthetic
A further use is for personal care (where it is also known as electro-muscle toning) to help tone muscles for aesthetic results. The rationale is that sport results obtained with EMS entail a change in the cross-section of the muscle. A change in shape and tone of the muscle would entail in turn a result that can be appreciated aesthetically. The FDA and the FTC are justifiably opposed to these claims, since their mission is that of protecting the consumer. The FDA regularly reject certification of devices that make these claims. EMS became popular in salons in the 1970s and home treatment units became increasingly popular during the early 1990s. The efficacy of the devices for these uses has been debated but a few home devices have survived some scientific scrutiny for their advertised uses[1]. Since the mid-1990s, wearable units in which EMS circuitry is contained in belt-like garments, neoprene shorts or other clothing items, have caused a significant growth in the EMS market. Most of these units are sold by mail order. Many of the newer units are available in colours and fabrics such as Zebra, Leopard and Cowprint in a bid to move away from the traditional sports market and appeal to a new younger consumer.
[edit] FDA Certification
Only FDA-certified devices can be lawfully sold in the US without medical prescription. These can be found at the corresponding FDA webpage for certified devices[2]. Many devices advertised over the internet are not actually included in the FDA list, and are marketed despite federal regulations. Some unauthorized manufacturers state that devices for home use do not need a prescription. However, this goes counter federally mandated rules that regulate over the counter devices (OTC). Recently the FTC has cracked down on consumer EMS devices that made unsubstantiated claims[3]; most have been removed from the market.
[edit] References
- ^ Effects of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Training on Abdominal Strength, Endurance, and Selected Anthropometric Measures - Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2005)4,66-75 (pdf)
- ^ FDA-Certified Devices
- ^ FTC Charges Three Top-selling Electronic Abdominal Exercise Belts with Making False Claims
- Seattle Times - opinion piece on personal electronic muscle stimulation belts
- John Porcari @ University of Wisconsin-La Crosse next plans to study ems buttocks and thigh toners
