How Can Electric Muscle Stimulation Assist Your Physical Therapy?

Even though Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS) is a relative newcomer to the exercise world in Australia, many of its benefits have been gaining popularity–and for good reason! An electric muscle stimulation workout has a multitude of benefits, particularly where it concerns muscle strengthening and weight loss. However, though EMS started in physical therapy and is only now making its way into the workout world, its physical therapy benefits seemed to have been eclipsed by its arrival in the fitness industry. However, muscle strengthening is the key to why EMS is beneficial during physical therapy.

Why is EMS beneficial for those in physical therapy? 

Apart from aiding in effective and efficient muscle strengthening, which is an overall benefit of EMS, what else makes it beneficial for therapy? Many persons in physical therapy are usually there for pain management and pain reduction and to increase flexibility, range of motion and functionality, build strength, and correct posture. Muscle strengthening is the key to many of these reasons, which is why electrical muscle stimulation is beneficial for those in physical therapy.

EMS is efficient at muscle strengthening because the electrical impulses aid your muscles to contract, resulting in muscle development and strengthening. This efficient way of strengthening your muscles means that you achieve a lot in a short length of time and without a lot of strain on one’s joints.

When can you use Electric Muscle Stimulation therapy?

Muscular atrophy

Muscle atrophy happens when muscle wastes away because of disuse or through ageing. Neurogenic muscle atrophy occurs when injury or disease harms the nerve attaching to the muscle. Both can be caused by a variety of reasons including osteoarthritis, stroke, an injury that causes one to be bedridden or stop physical activity and rheumatoid arthritis. It is important that one attempts to rebuild muscles in both cases as the results can be extremely grave.

While it is up to your doctor to determine whether EMS is suitable for you and your condition, it should be noted that it can be extremely effective at rebuilding muscles in the case of muscle atrophy. As mentioned previously, EMS forces your muscles to contract which results in muscle growth and strengthening. In persons who already are extremely weak, EMS can efficiently help them workout and rebuild muscle in a shorter span of time than it would take with conventional exercise. For persons with limited endurance and weak bodies, this is extremely helpful as results can be achieved much faster, reducing the stress on their bodies.

Urinary incontinence  – especially for women before and after giving birth

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine. It can be experienced by both women and men but is commonly an issue for women after giving birth as the muscles weaken around the pelvis and bladder, making it harder to control their urinary flow. EMS can aid with this issue by sending a mild electric current to nerves in the lower back or the pelvic muscles that control your bladder’s flow. This mild current will make your muscles contract and strengthen them (similar to what Kegel exercises do). The stimulation may also contribute to the growth of nerve cells which cause muscles to contract and thus, lead to better bladder control.

Pain management–particularly for the lower back

Often, back pain is a result of poor core strength. Poor core strength is also linked to improper posture and incorrect muscle balance, both of which exacerbate back pain. EMS does a fantastic job of strengthening your core muscles, especially when you use 20 PerFit’s EMS bodysuit which targets all major muscle fibres and provides over 150 times more muscle contractions than conventional exercise. It can be difficult to strengthen your core without much strength however, EMS fixes this problem and puts you on the road to managing your back pain by strengthening your core.

What exercises should be done with EMS to assist those in physical therapy?

Without knowing your injury or assessing your physical capabilities, it would be difficult to determine what exercises are appropriate for an individual’s physical therapy. However, if you would like to work on your muscle strengthening, speak to one of our EMS certified trainers. Our trainers will tailor your workout session according to your needs and goals, exclusively focus on your progress and ensure that your workout is totally safe and highly effective. However, if you are injured or have an underlying medical condition, we recommend that you speak to your doctor before starting an EMS workout.

Our personal trainers will work by your side to make sure your workout suits your personal goals and fitness abilities. If you’re interested in joining 20PerFit but still have a few questions, then contact our team. They will also be more than happy to guide you through each step of the workout, explain its advantages and offer training advice.

Try it for yourself and reap the benefits of EMS training.

Book in a session here or contact our friendly team on 1300 202 073.