Abstract
Objective
To compare maximal evoked torque, discomfort, and fatigue-related outcomes between
multipath neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and conventional NMES of the
quadriceps muscle in patients with total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
Design
Randomized, single-blind, crossover study with 2 experimental sessions (multipath
NMES, conventional NMES).
Setting
Research laboratory.
Participants
Patients (N=20; mean age, 68y) 6 to 12 months after TKA surgery.
Interventions
None.
Main Outcome Measures
We quantified NMES-evoked knee extension torque at the maximally tolerated current
intensity, self-reported discomfort, and fatigue induced by NMES intermittent contractions
in both conditions.
Results
Compared with conventional NMES, multipath NMES resulted in higher evoked torque (33%,
P<.001), lower discomfort scores (−39%, P<.001), and less quadriceps muscle fatigue (P=.034).
Conclusions
The use of multiple current pathways distributed to large electrodes allowed multipath
NMES to generate stronger contractions and reduce discomfort and fatigue compared
with conventional NMES. Therefore, multipath NMES has the potential to be more effective
than conventional NMES.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
MVC (maximal voluntary contraction), NMES (neuromuscular electrical stimulation), TKA (total knee arthroplasty), VAS (visual analog scale)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 03, 2014
Footnotes
Supported by Bio-Medical Research Ltd (provided the Kneehab stimulators), Neurotech (provided the Kneehab cuffs), and Compex (provided the Compex 3 device).
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
