What Benefits Do EMS Units Bring to People?

Low-frequency pulse electricity is a kind of current lower than 1,000Hz, which means the electrical current is triggered less than 1,000 times per second. With the development of medical technology, medical workers also apply electrical muscle stimulators to promote recovery and some fitness enthusiasts use them to assist muscle building.

In physical therapy, the EMS technology that utilizes low-frequency pulse electricity on human beings was divided into Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES), Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation (TENS), and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES).

NMES and Its Benefits

An NMES unit passes an electrical current through nerves. This input causes muscles contraction so that it can retard muscle atrophy for those who lose mobility. Patients suffering from stroke, traumatic brain injury, or other cerebral nerve diseases might not move and feel their limbs because the brain which is like a CPU in a computer, is damaged and can not send signals to the terminal such as fingers, hands, toes. The affected bodies and extremities are out of control. NMES takes over parts of the jobs of the damaged brain and it sends the electrical current which we mentioned as a ‘signal’ to the muscles, making contraction and then the blood vessels through the muscles are compressed so that the local blood circulation is accelerated. Muscle atrophy will be retarded and the users even can rebuild muscles with NMES assistance.

MStim Rehab LGT-231 NMES Unit for Dysphagia

Normal people or fitness enthusiasts can also benefit from NMES. People build muscles through a mass of repetitive resistance training. Although they have tried the maximum load, they still can not awaken all muscle fibers during the training process. NMES promotes muscle contraction and every single muscle fiber is activated to take part in the process. The muscles get adequate training and are easier to go into exhaustion conditions. The training effectiveness and efficiency are improved.

MStim Sport LGT-232 EMS Device for Muscle Building

TENS and Its Benefits

A TENS device sends small electrical impulses to affected areas of one’s body to help relieve pain and relax muscles. The electrical currents interfere with the transmission of pain signals to the spinal cord and brain, which means the pain signals are blocked so that the users cannot feel the pain. The stimulation also helps promote the release of endorphins – natural painkillers chemicals in the human body. It’s a non-invasive and effective pain-killing method with few adverse effects.

A TENS unit can be applied alone or with medications and other treatments and therapies. However, there is one thing worth noting. That is, TENS can only give help to pain relief. It can not treat the original diseases.

MStim Arth LGT-235 TENS/MCR Device for Pain Management

FES and Its Benefits

An FES unit is the clever use of electrical stimulation to finish a task that is hard to be done without assistance for those with dysfunction. For example, foot drop is a common problem for patients with cerebral nerve injury and lower limb fracture. They have difficulty in picking up the toes when walking so they have to raise their legs higher to avoid being tripped over obstacles. This may result in decreased walking speed and a strange gait. Both patients’ walking safety and range of movement are greatly decreased. They may feel helpless and have less confidence to live independently. Although there are sorts of AFO brace available on the market, they can not solve the problem radically. An FES device is just enough to fill this demand gap. With a smart sensor built-in, the device can detect when the user is ready to move forward and send electrical currents to the muscles responsible for foot raising on time. In this way, users don’t have to overly raise their legs so that the gait will look normal. The user can then walk naturally, correctly, and with more confidence. 

The FES device can significantly reduce the symptoms of foot drop and improve the users’ walking safety and range of activity. Furthermore, they will not feel self-abasement and can rebuild their social relation and their life.

MStim Drop LGT-233 FES Device for Foot Drop Treatment

Longest, a professional physiotherapy and rehab equipment supplier, has developed a range of low-frequency electrical stimulation devices, including LGT-231, LGT-232, LGT-233, and LGT-235. Want to know more? Head to the product pages. 

If you are interested in our products and OEM/ODM service, please contact us.

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