Has anyone had experience of this form of excerise known as Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS).It requires very little effort by the individual other than having to don a rubber suit similar to that worn by a surfer and have electrical impulses applied to the various muscles of the body. I do virtually no exercising at the moment mainly due to the extreme fatigue I'm experiencing and I can feel muscle weakness progressing slowly but surely. I'm currently on 4mg pred having started at 20mg in Nov 2020.
I was wondering if this form of muscle stimulation would help strength my muscles without causing problems such as inflammation of the muscles or any other unforeseen issues. A friend mine, a non pmr sufferer, has tried it and says it gives the muscles a good work out and that her body aches the next day as if she's done a good gymnastic workout. Any advise would be very much appreciated.
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Hankb
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My immediate reaction is scepticism! If only it were that easy ...
You can maintain muscle with really very simple exercises done sat in a chair and a chat with a suitable trained physiotherapist would be useful I think. Physios working with the older patient can provide a lot of advice.
is a fairly good article I think - and there are cases where it should not be used. I think you are unlikely to be pregnant - but do you have a pacemaker?
And this study found you don't get away with it that easily - it works for young healthy subjects in combination with resistance training but not on its own. Even if it would help - you still have to do some "real" training and they didn't look at elderly, far from healthy subjects.
Hi PMRpro. Thank you for your fast response. I've read through the links you provided and considering your opinion I'm going to start light weight exercises for short periods each day and also make use of my exercise bike which was purchased with good intentions months ago and only used about half a dozen times,I think that is the safest way forward for me. By the way I dont have a pacemaker. Many thanks once again for your advice.
Apparently the concept of EMS goes back to the ancient Greeks. There are some people who should avoid it.
Skin irritation: The most common risk is skin irritation where the electrodes are placed. The skin should be clean, dry, and intact to avoid adverse reactions or infections.
Pacemakers: EMS is not recommended for people with pacemakers or other implantable heart devices.
Pregnancy: EMS is not recommended for pregnant people, but it may be used in some supervised circumstances to help relieve labor pains.
Epilepsy: EMS is not recommended for people with epilepsy.
Metal implants: EMS may be contraindicated for people with superficial metal implants or orthotics.
Skin breakdown: EMS should not be used on skin that is broken down.
Cancer: EMS is contraindicated for people with cancer.
Cardiac or seizure disorder: EMS is contraindicated for people with a history of cardiac or seizure disorder.
Peripheral nerve conduction systems: EMS is contraindicated for people with impaired peripheral nerve conduction systems.
Transdermal drug patches: Complications can occur if the electrodes are placed too close to a transdermal drug patch.
Allergies: Some people may develop allergies to EMS, and stimulation should be discontinued until the cause is clear.
Before using EMS, you should always check with your healthcare provider, especially if you have existing health conditions.
Hi Piglette. Thank you for your very informative response. Having considered all the points you've raised and not withstanding my age plus the fact that I am still being treated for prostate cancer, I think the wisest thing for me would be to do some light weight exercises at home to try and maintain some muscle strength. Many thanks.
I aggree with PMR pro over this. Simple non weight bearing exercises done in sitting are very useful and the patient is in control. This can lead on to non weight bearing work with support of a barre or chair. There are quite a few of these classes on-line if there is nothing in your area. We used to use electrical stimulation of muscles but mostly in cases where there has been damage to a nerve, which resulted in severe restriction of movement. I'm talking about the 1960s when I worked as a physio. I am not up to date with the procedures now.
Thank you Francesbarbara for your response. From your reply and others from the group I will opt for light weight bearing excercise at home. I see there are many classes available on line which I'll make use of and hopefully get some inspiration from them as well.Many thanks for your input.
I had the EMS done as warmup for massage. I don't think it can be used for the purpose you are looking for. As other mentioned, some simple functional exercises without weight or some small weight will stop or slow down muscle loss until the time you can do more. Example - while sitting lift your leg and hold it straight in horizontal position for 5sec, relax and repeat 10x. This will tone your quads, knee and most of the leg muscles. You can come up with similar ( simple) exercise for arms or any part of the body. Since you have extreme fatigue issue, do it for short time, several times a day.
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