Use Principles; Placement Of Electrodes; Stimulation Position; Setting The Stimulation Energy Level - Compex Full Fitness Manuel D'utilisation Et D'applications

ith pain relief programmes, elec-
W
trostimulation can be used to treat lo-
calized sharp or chronic pains as well
as muscular pains.
Benefits of electrostimulation
Electrostimulation is a very effective way to make
your muscles work::
with significant improvement of different mus-
cular qualities,
without cardio-vascular or mental fatigue,
with limited stress on the joints and tendons.
Electrostimulation thus allows a greater quantity
of work by the muscles compared with voluntary
activity.
To be effective, this work must involve the grea-
test possible number of muscular fibres. The num-
ber of fibres working depends on the stimulation
energy. It will therefore be necessary to use the
V. USE PRINCIPLES
he use principles presented in this section should be considered general
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rules. For all programmes, it is recommended that you read carefully the infor-
mation and advice on use presented in chapter VI of this manual ("Program-
mes and specific applications").

1. Placement of electrodes

It is recommended that you comply
with the suggested placements. To do
this, refer to the pictures and pictograms
shown on the poster and to the "Table with
placements of electrodes and stimulation po-
sitions" in chapter VII.
stimulation cable consists of two
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poles:
a positive pole (+) = red connection
a negative pole (–) = black connection
different electrode must be connec-
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ted to each of the two poles.
ote: It is possible and normal to have
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174 an electrode arrangement that leads
Warning: do not use the pain relief pro-
grammes for a long period without
medical advice.
maximum tolerable energy. The user controls this
aspect of stimulation. The higher the stimulation
energy, the greater the number of muscular fi-
bres that are working and, therefore, the more
significant the progress achieved.
To maximize your results, Compex recommends
that you complement your electrostimulation ses-
sions with other efforts, like:
regular exercise,
proper and healthy nutrition,
balanced lifestyle.
one electrode connection free from a
cable.
epending on the characteristics of
D
the current used for each programme,
the electrode connected to the posi-
tive pole (red connection) is more ef-
fective when placed in a "strategic"
position.
or all muscle electrostimulation pro-
F
grammes, i.e., programmes involving
muscle contractions, it is important to
place the positive polarity electrode
on the muscle motor point.
he choice of electrodes size (large
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or small) and the correct positioning
of the electrodes on the muscular
group to be stimulated are determi-
nant and essential factors for the ef-
fectiveness of the stimulation. There-
fore, always use the size of electrodes
shown in the pictures. Unless you
have other specific medical instruc-
tions, always follow the placement di-
rections in the pictures. If necessary,
find the best position by slightly mo-
ving the positive polarity electrode, so
as to obtain the best muscle contrac-
tion or the position that seems most
comfortable.
Compex Group disclaims all
responsibility for electrodes positioned
in any other manner.
2. Stimulation positions
To determine the stimulation position
to adopt depending on the placement
of the electrodes and the chosen pro-
gramme, refer to the pictures and picto-
grams on the poster and to the "Table with
placements of electrodes and stimulation
positions" in chapter VII.
he stimulation position depends on
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the muscular group to be stimulated
and the programme chosen.
or the programmes involving power-
F
ful muscular contractions, the muscle
should always be stimulated in an iso-
metric fashion. Consequently, you
should fix the extremity of the stimula-
ted limb(s) firmly. In this way, you
provide maximum resistance to the
movement and prevent any shortening
of the muscle during the contraction,
which could create cramp pains and
serious stiffness after the session. For
example, when stimulating the quadri-
ceps, the user should be in a seated
position with the ankles fixed with
straps to prevent extension of the
knees.
For the other types of programmes
(for example, the Pain programmes
and the programme),
Active recovery
which do not involve powerful mus-
cular contractions, position yourself
as comfortably as possible.
3. Setting the stimulation
energy level
n a stimulated muscle, the number
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of recruited fibres depends on the sti-
mulation energy. For the programmes
involving powerful muscular contrac-
tions, it is therefore absolutely neces-
sary to use maximum stimulation
energy, always at the limit of what
you can support, so as to involve the
greatest possible number of fibres.
he "Table with placements of elec-
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trodes and stimulation positions" in
chapter VII provides information on
the energy to use, depending on the
selected programme.
4. Progression
in the levels
n general, it is not advisable to go
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through the different levels quickly
with the intention of reaching level 5
as fast as possible. In fact, the diffe-
rent levels correspond to progress
with electrostimulation.
he simplest and most usual proce-
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dure is to start with level 1 and raise
the level when changing to a new sti-
mulation cycle.
t the end of a cycle, you may either
A
start a new cycle at the next level up
or do some maintenance at the rate
of 1 session a week at the last level
reached.
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