28/09/2023

How do Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) Machines work?

Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) is a technique to stimulate muscles with an electric current to achieve a specific result. This result is often to relive inflammation after injury and to build strength during rehabilitation after injury or surgery.

How does EMS differ from TENS?

The easiest way to tell the difference between TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) and EMS is that TENS targets nerves to reduce pain, whereas EMS targets muscles to aid recovery.

TENS machines act to block pain signals reaching the brain and release endorphins to make you feel good. EMS machines on the other hand target specific muscles to reduce inflammation and force these muscles to fire when an injury may prevent you from using these muscles naturally. By keeping these muscles engaged they will not lose strength (atrophy) so you can return to normal activity and performance sooner.

Key Benefits of an EMS Machine

An EMS machine has many benefits to your muscles. It can:

Relax the muscle
Minimise muscle inflammation
Prevent atrophy of the muscle
Speed up muscle healing
Stimulate muscle growth

“EMS is the fastest growing area of the fitness industry”

EMS or TENS machines what do I need?

TENS machines are used to relieve chronic nerve, muscle or joint pain including inflammatory arthritis, back pain, foot pain, contractions during childbirth, or post-operative pain. A migraine can also be relieved by specialised TENS machines.

EMS machines, on the other hand, are used to relax or strengthen the muscles, for example in cases of muscular spasm, poor blood circulation (particularly in the back and nape of the neck), muscle atrophy after an illness or as part of rehabilitation from an injury. They are therefore more often recommended for the relief of muscle pain. Athletes also sometimes use EMS in order to recover from an injury more quickly, as electrical muscle stimulation will enable them to rebuild muscle without too much strain and to exercise muscles that they may not use very much.

3-in-1 Combo TENS, EMS & Massage

The elletens 3-in-1 Combo device offers both TENS and EMS in one single unit along with a relaxing massage function. If you suffer from ongoing pain and also need to help with rehabilitation from a recent injury (or are injury prone) this device could be a great addition to your pain relief and rehabilitation program.