4. INTRODUCTION
HOW DOES ELECTROSTIMULATION WORK?
The principle of electrostimulation is to stimulate nerve fibers by means of electrical impulses transmitted by
electrodes� The electrical pulses generated by Compex Wireless USA stimulator are high quality pulses -
offering safety, comfort and efficiency�
The motor nerves, to stimulate a muscular response� The quantity and the benefits obtained depend on the
stimulation parameters and this is known as electro- muscular stimulation (EMS)�
MOTOR NERVE STIMULATION (EMS)
In voluntary activity, the order for muscular work comes from the brain, which sends a command to the
nerve fibers in the form of an electrical signal� This signal is then transmitted to the muscular fibers, which
contract� The principle of electrostimulation accurately reproduces the process observed during a voluntary
contraction� The stimulator sends an electrical current impulse to the nerve fibers, exciting them�
This excitation is then transmitted to the muscular fibers causing a basic mechanical response (= muscular
twitch)� The latter constitutes the basic requirement for muscular contraction� This muscular response is
completely identical to muscular work controlled by the brain� In other words, the muscle cannot distinguish
whether the command comes from the brain or from the stimulator� The parameters of the Compex Wireless
USA programs (number of impulses per second, contraction time, rest time, total program time) subject the
muscles to different types of work, by stimulating different types of muscle fibers� In fact, different types of
muscular fibers may be distinguished according to their respective contraction speed: slow, intermediate
and fast fibers� Fast fibers will obviously predominate in a sprinter, while a marathon runner will have more
slow fibers� With a good knowledge of human physiology and a perfect mastery of the stimulation parameters
of the various programs, muscular work can be directed very precisely towards the desired goal (muscular
reinforcement, increased blood flow, firming up, etc�)�
Electrical pulse
Excitation
Motor
nerve
Stimulated
muscle
Transmission of
the excitation
Elementary mechanical response – Twitch
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