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From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
→Electrical Stimulation and Wound Healing
* '''Does not cause discomfort.''' EMS is generally well tolerated and does not cause discomfort<ref name="EMSBrod11"/>. (EMS units have intensity controls, and increasing the intensity too high can be painful.)
* '''Does Increase strength. '''Many studies have shown that EMS can increase strength<ref name="EMSBroch05"/><ref name="EMSMaff00"/><ref name="EMSGond05"/><ref name="EMSMaff01"/><ref name="EMSMart93"/>. For instance one study showed an increase in quad strength by over 20% in untrained subjects<ref name="EMSStrength1983"/>. (As an aside, this study trained only one leg with EMS, and the other untrained leg gained 15% strength. This effect, where training one limb increases the strength in the other, has been known about since at least 1894 and is called the Contralateral Strength Training Effect<ref name="EMSCarr06"/>. )
* '''Does Increase [[Muscle|Muscle Recruitment]]. '''Studies indicate that EMS increases muscular recruitment and that this may be the underlying mechanism for some of the strength gains<ref name="EMSGond05"/><ref name="EMSMaff01"/><ref name="EMSMart93"/><ref name="EMSRecruitment"/>.
* '''Does Increase Blood flow.''' EMS can increase the flow of blood to a muscle<ref name="EMSZico95"/><ref name="EMSBrod11"/>. (Lower frequencies of around 7-9Hz seem to be optimal<ref name="EMSBrod11"/>.)
* '''Does Not Reduce Weight.''' EMS does not help with weight reduction or fat loss<ref name="EMSFda"/><ref name="EMSPorc05"/>. In 2002 the FTC charged three companies with false claims about weight loss [[Weight Loss]] from EMS devices<ref name="EMSFtc"/>.
* '''Can Cause DOMS.''' It's not a surprise given that EMS is a form of strength training, but EMS can cause [[Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness]]<ref name="EMSCauseDOMS"/>. (EMS may also help relieve DOMS - see below.)
* '''Endurance - Unclear'''. They are few studies on the use of EMS for endurance. A study of sedentary subjects showed a 10% increase in [[VO2max|V̇O<sub>2</sub>max]]<ref name="EMSBane05"/>, but this study used an unusually large level of EMS over an unusually large area. I found no studies of endurance benefits for trained athletes. A study did show a doubling of the number of abdominal curls that could be performed after EMS training<ref name="EMSPorc05"/>, but this is not "endurance" in the sense a runner would mean.
* Do not apply to the chest area if you have any heart conditions.
* If you have a pacemaker, do not use EMS anywhere on your body.
* Do not apply EMS to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carotid_sinus Carotid sinus] area of the neck, as this could affect heart rate [[Heart Rate]] or blood pressure.
* Do not apply through your head.
* Do not apply through cancerous tissue.
* On Time 6 seconds
* Rest Time 6 seconds
=Electrical Stimulation and Wound Healing=
There is some good evidence that electrical stimulation can improve wound healing<ref name="woundsinternational.com"/><ref name="McCaig-2005"/>. The mechanism may be the electrical potential of ~23 mV (10-60mV) that exists in the skin, known as the "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transepithelial_potential_difference transepithelial potential]". A skin wound causes this potential to collapse (0 mV) and an "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_of_injury injury current]" is created (~10-100 µA), which may attract or repel nearby healthy cells<ref name="Kloth2005"/>. As the wound heals, different types of cells are required which have different polarization<ref name="Kloth2005"/>. A review of the research into Electrical Stimulation for Wound Healing<ref name="Balakatounis-2008"/> indicated that the effective range is 200 to 800 µA, with underlying studies using 130 Hz, 130 μs for >30 minutes/day. The general recommendation is to apply the negative electrode close to the wound and the positive electrode proximally. One study reversed the polarity after 3 days if no infection was seen. If infection did occur than polarity was reversed 3 days after infection had subsided. After that, polarity was reversed each time healing reached a plateau. (NB, EMS devices have current in the 1-100 mA range, so the lowest setting is 1 mA or which is 1,000 µA.)
=References=
<references>
<ref name="woundsinternational.com">Electrical stimulation in wound care; Supplements; Wounds International, http://www.woundsinternational.com/supplements/electrical-stimulation-in-wound-care, Accessed on 27 November 2013</ref>
<ref name="McCaig-2005"> CD. McCaig, AM. Rajnicek, B. Song, M. Zhao, Controlling cell behavior electrically: current views and future potential., Physiol Rev, volume 85, issue 3, pages 943-78, Jul 2005, doi [http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00020.2004 10.1152/physrev.00020.2004], PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15987799 15987799]</ref>
<ref name="Kloth2005">L. C. Kloth, Electrical Stimulation for Wound Healing: A Review of Evidence From In Vitro Studies, Animal Experiments, and Clinical Trials, The International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, volume 4, issue 1, 2005, pages 23–44, ISSN [http://www.worldcat.org/issn/1534-7346 1534-7346], doi [http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1534734605275733 10.1177/1534734605275733]</ref>
<ref name="Balakatounis-2008"> KC. Balakatounis, AG. Angoules, Low-intensity electrical stimulation in wound healing: review of the efficacy of externally applied currents resembling the current of injury., Eplasty, volume 8, pages e28, 2008, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18552975 18552975]</ref>
<ref name="EMSFtc">FTC Charges Three Top-selling Electronic Abdominal Exercise Belts with Making False Claims http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/05/projectabsurd.shtm </ref>
<ref name="EMSCarr06">Contralateral effects of unilateral strength training: evidence and possible mechanisms http://jap.physiology.org/content/101/5/1514.full </ref>
<ref name="EMSMaff01">Activation of human plantar flexor muscles increases after electromyostimulation training http://jap.physiology.org/content/92/4/1383.full </ref>
<ref name="EMSMart93">European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, Volume 67, Number 5 - SpringerLink http://www.springerlink.com/content/w42n8tn66421416r/ </ref>
<ref name="EMSZico95">[Effect of the frequency of neuromuscular electri... [J Mal Vasc. 1995] - PubMed - NCBI http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7745364 </ref>
<ref name="EMSBrod11">Patient tolerance of neuromuscular electrical s... [Med Eng Phys. 2011] - PubMed - NCBI http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20926329 </ref>
<ref name="EMSFda">Consumer Products > Electronic Muscle Stimulators http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/HomeHealthandConsumer/ConsumerProducts/ucm142478.htm </ref>
