Effect of Electrical Stimulation on human skeletal muscle

Effect of Electrical Stimulation on human skeletal muscle

Kane et al, 2017 [prospectivEriksson et al, 1981 [n=23; male; from 20 to 41 years old] aimed to determine the acute and adaptive effects of electrical stimulation of the quadriceps muscle in healthy male volunteers. Three series of experiments were performed. They performed strength training for a similar period, but with slow voluntary dynamic (isokinetic) contractions. During electrical stimulation, the subject was placed in a chair and one electrode was placed over the medial distal portion of the quadriceps muscle and the other was placed on the proximal portion. The electrodes were connected to an electrical stimulator (Grass, Quincy, Mass.), with an output of 10 mA for 0.5 ms duration in a squared wave form and a frequency of 200 Hz. To optimize the location of the electrodes, a voltage corresponding to 30 to 40 V was applied initially. When the position giving the greatest response to this voltage was found, the voltage was increased to 40 to 50 V, which corresponded to the maximal voltage the subject could sustain without unbearable pain. A certain adaptation occurred in each subject after some minutes of electrical stimulation, and in these cases the voltage was further increased by 5 to 10 V. Stimulation Protocol Series I: 15-s stimulation interrupted by 15-s of recovery was applied. In total, 6 min of effective stimulation was performed. Series II: an intermittent stimulatory program as in series I was applied and carried out 4 to 5 times a week. In total, each subject received an average of 150 min of effective electrical stimulation. Series lIl: subjects had six bouts of 6-s stimulation followed by 6 s of recovery; this was repeated 15 times over a period of 4 weeks. The total effective stimulation time was 90 min. The authors observed that the acute effects, i.e., depletion of phosphagen and glycogen stores and formation of lactate as well as decreases in certain enzyme activities, were like those found earlier for intense muscular exercise. Intermittent electrical stimulation for 4 to 5 weeks did not cause any significant changes in enzyme activities, muscle fiber characteristics, or mitochondrial properties. A 4-week period of electrical stimulation resulted in improvements of muscle strength comparable to the results of a corresponding program of voluntary training. However, the effects of electrical stimulation appeared more "position-specific" and less "speed-specific" than those of voluntary training with slow isokinetic contractions. In summary, electrical stimulation as applied in the present study did not appear superior to voluntary training. However, a potential advantage with electrical stimulation was indicated in that it can be directed to specific muscle portions with localized training responses consequently. Muscles that are weakened, e.g., due to injury can thus be selectively trained.e cohort study design; n=20; male and female; from 19 to 86 years old] aimed to investigate the feasibility of utilizing IES in an intensive care environment in immobile patients, as a potential method for preventing pressure ulcers. Intermittent 35 Hz electrical stimulation was administered through surface electrodes to the gluteal muscles causing them to contract for 10 s every 10 min. Subjects utilized IES on a program that increased from 4 to 24 h per day over 8 days and lasted up to a maximum of 4 weeks. No pressure ulcers occurred in any subject during the study. No untoward reactions or adverse events had occurred directly because of IES. Based on the results the authors concluded that IES is both safe and feasible to implement in intensive care units.
Back to blog
  • Eriksson E, Häggmark T, Kiessling K-H, Karlsson J. Effect of Electrical Stimulation on human skeletal muscle.

    Int J Sports Med. 1981;

    02(01):18–22. Available at: doi:10.1055/s-2008-1034578