Electrotherapy

Electrotherapy is defined as - the use of electric currents passed through the body to stimulate nerves and muscles, chiefly in the treatment of various forms of paralysis. Electric stimulation devices such as Compex have been shown to speed u recovery time in athletes and are medical-grade devices designed to contract the muscles in different ways that may promote blood flow, increase muscle tone, and flush out lactic build-up. In more extreme cases even, an electro-therapy device can be used to alleviate muscular spasms and cramps. Whether your goals are to be an elite athlete or just beat your own markers of fitness to get back in shape, recovery methods are vital to optimising your human performance and potential. Although these techniques have been suggested as recovery methods from athletic practices, recovery is important for any person that encounters physical, emotional, or mental stresses in everyday life. In order to put your best self forward, you have to take care of yourself in mind and body. There are many myths, misconceptions and concerns around electric muscle simulators and rightly so. Using a device that sends an electric current through your body sounds dangerous and painful.

What does it do?

The principle of electro-stimulation is very simple; it reproduces the processes that occur when our brain orders muscles to contract. It works almost like a relay race; when we decide to contract a muscle, our brain sends an electrical current down through our nerve fibres. Once it reaches the muscle, the terminal motor neurons fire and stimulate the muscle fibres to contract. When you use an electric muscle simulator, the signal is sent directly to the motor neurons using brain-like electrical pulses. In fact, muscles cannot tell the difference between a contraction triggered by the brain and one caused by the electro-therapy device. In theory this current bathes the entire length of the motor neurons. The result is a more thorough and complete muscular contraction. There is also less impact on bones and joints since the stimulation is coming from the device and not from an activity such as weight lifting.