Electro Stimulation; Electrodes; Tiredness; Advantages Of Using Electro Stimulation - Tesmed Max 830 Mode D'emploi

electro stimulation

Electro stimulation is a technique that provokes muscular contractions very similar to voluntary
contraction thanks to electrical impulses acting on the motor points of the muscles. As everyone
knows, muscles contract when they receive an impulse coming from the nervous system and then
return to their normal length once they are no longer stimulated thanks to their elasticity. A motor
nerve fibre splits into several ramifications before entering the muscle and ends at the motor end
plate. The nerve fibre and the group of muscular fibres innervated by this make up the motor unit. A
muscular fibre responds to the electrical stimulus only when the intensity of the stimulus reaches a
threshold value, which is specific to each fibre. The most obvious use of the electro stimulation of
innervated muscles is in kinesiatherapy of atrophy, functional reanimation after a long periods of
immobility, in vasodilation, pain reducing and in stimulating the treated tissues to combat cellulite
(PASSIVE EXERCISE). When treating a patient with electro stimulation, the following are crucial: the
correct positioning of the electrodes, the stimulation program and the wave type.

Electrodes

The positioning of the electrodes is crucial. It must provide accurate stimulus parameters for the zone
being treated since the conductivity of body tissues varies according to their structure, aqueous and ionic
make-up. The electrodes must be in perfect contact with a thoroughly clean skin (also depilated, if
necessary). This ensures better penetrability and permeability of the skin when receiving the stimulus to
suit the application to be carried out. For better electrode conductivity we recommend they be replaced
when they loose adherence. They can also be cleaned with running water or wiped with a damp cloth;
leave to dry before using them again for a few more applications. NB: With electro stimulation, the
current density diminishes as the tissue consistency increases.
We recommend using Tesmed electrodes exclusively, as electrodes of different sizes and
composition could cause burns.

Tiredness

The high percentage of simultaneous contraction/relaxing of the muscles due to electrical stimulus often
results in a drop in the relaxation of the neurotransmitters, thus resulting in muscle fatigue. The scientific
explanation is as follows: the stimulus tends to provoke the recruitment of large diameter motor neurones
(these have a low threshold), thus exciting the more consistent and faster muscle fibres (FIBRES 2 or white
fibres). These tire more easily, but they use less effort than FIBRES 1 or red fibres. In other words, the higher
the frequency of stimulus, the more tired the muscle becomes. For this reason, it is important to include
relaxation programs and get medical advice. Having said this however, Tesmed s sports programs already
contain a relaxation phase. During treatments using the electro stimulator, every increase in intensity must
be done gradually. If there is EXCESSIVE contraction, you must reduce the intensity. In fact, stimulation
must not provoke muscular tetany (i.e. long continuous contractions). There are no standard rules for the
number of contractions and the duration and frequency of the sessions. These must be set to suit each
person and the condition of the tissues to be treated. When treating areas affected by CELLULITE, you should
normally start the treatment by gradually raising the intensity until the patient starts to feel a slight tingling, but
without creating excessive contraction of the muscles or an unpleasant sensation of localised heat.
To sum up: the vasomotor and metabolic effects induced by the passage of an electrical current
considerably increase the consistency and quality of tissues. The best level of stimulus is when the
patient perceives the current passing through the tissue; this should provoke a light initial contraction
of the muscles (a slight trembling), but never too intense.
There are two important advantages here:
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