EMS for sports rehabilitation
Backed by over 40 years of experience, BMR manufactures electrical stimulation products of medical device quality, supported by strong, clinical evidence and subjected to controlled product trials. Thousands of doctors and physiotherapists rely on BMR products every day and they help improve the lives of over 200,000 patients every year.
Sports rehabilitation
If you’ve had a muscle injury, there’s every chance you’ll benefit from EMS devices at surgeries, hospitals and gyms – that’s because they are commonly used to treat muscle groups affected by sports injuries.
The Slendertone EMS devices contain « sport » programmes and recovery programmes to effectively relieve minor aches and pains from your muscle workout.
A rehabilitation program should be designed with seven essential principles in mind: 2 main objectives and individual long and short-term goals.
Principles of sports rehabilitation:
- Avoid aggravation - do not make the injury worse during the rehabilitation
- Timing - rehabilitation should be started as soon as it is possible without aggravating the injury
- Compliance - it is imperative you carry out the rehabilitation program in its entirety
- Individualization - each athlete is different. The rehabilitation response will vary from patient to patient
- Specific sequencing - incorporate all components of physical fitness as part of your rehabilitation program
- Intensity - without aggravating the injury rehab should challenge you and progress your fitness
- Total patient - it is important not to just focus on the injured part but to offer a holistic overall body rehab approach
The 2 main objectives of sports rehabilitation are:
- Prevent deconditioning as a result of the injury
- Rehabilitate the injured part
Rehabilitation programmes should incorporate all components of physical fitness and therapeutic exercise, which include:
- Strength and muscular endurance
- Speed, stamina, suppleness and flexibility
EMS and rehab
It has long been known that EMS devices are effective in rehab environments. When a person has a muscle tear or other muscle injury, the low-level electrical current of electronic muscle stimulators stimulates the muscle. This stimulation aids in rehabilitation by stimulating muscle activity and subsequently aids in strengthening weakened muscles. Repair of injured tissue goes through a 3-stage cycle, namely inflammation, proliferation and remodelling.
The introduction of EMS during the remodelling stage may accelerate the recovery by prevention of disuse atrophy and muscle re-education. The tears need to heal in order for the muscle to strengthen – meaning, unless that repair has taken place, a therapist can’t move on to the next stage of rehabilitation.
EMS speeds up this process, and helps you get back to your favourite sporting activities in no time. Here are four reasons why:
- Nerves and muscles recover quicker
- Damaged tissue is stimulated, often in places that are not greatly helped by therapy
- Muscle tissue is helped in ways that exercise alone can’t match
- The whole rehabilitation process is speeded up
And because the process is quicker, the cost of physical therapy is often reduced significantly. EMS technology relieves pain and is relaxing, and its effect can continue after the session has finished, speeding up the healing process and reinforcing pain relief.
Rehabilitation for elderly people
It is important to note that elderly people’s body undergo the exact same adaptive responses to exercise, as does a young healthy body. In fact, given the lower functioning levels which an older person is starting off from, the greater the potential of rehabilitation programme to make a difference in the person’s functional capacity.
As well as improving tone, muscle stimulation improves circulation and gets oxygen and nutrients to the muscle cells, helps to remove toxins and can reduce the time it takes to recover from surgery. EMS tones muscles, increases muscular endurance and improves the range of motion in joints, which reduces the chance of injury.
EMS treatments can also improve your posture. They provide relief from the stress and discomfort caused by overworked muscles, and they contribute to an overall relaxed and refreshed feeling. EMS is also excellent for relaxing muscles, re-programming the nerves and making pain more bearable.
It is also effective at reducing inflammation and discomfort associated with sore or tight muscles.
