Tuesday, October 28, 2008

E.M.S. And Sports Injury Rehabilitation

By Amy Nutt

It has long been known that electronic muscle stimulators 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 is just enough to initiate repair of the muscle. It is very important for those tears to heal so that the muscle becomes stronger. In a rehab environment, the therapist is counting on that repair to occur so that they can move on to the next phase of the rehabilitation process. If the therapist is unable to repair those muscles, then they cannot work on strengthening them.

Without electronic muscle stimulation, the repair process would move much slower. In other words, it has revolutionized physical therapy and helps get athletes back on the playing field in no time. Here is what electronic muscle stimulation can do for athletes who have been injured:

The nerves and the muscles are able to recover faster after an injury. Electronic muscle stimulators stimulate any damaged muscle tissue that may not be heavily influenced by therapy alone. EMS devices help stimulate muscle tissue that may not be affected by exercise. Electronic muscle stimulation speeds up the rehabilitation process, which decreases the overall cost of physical therapy.

Nowadays, most rehabilitation clinics use EMS devices because of their healing properties. After a person undergoes therapy, the therapist may have the patient sit down with the electrodes of an electronic muscle stimulator connected to the affected muscles. This can also be very relaxing because much of the pain is relieved during this period. Furthermore, the effects continue for a while after the session is completed. So not only is the healing process sped up, there is also a certain degree of pain relief that would not be achieved otherwise.

A healthier you

Basically, the use of EMS devices during therapy improves the quality of life in a lot of ways. A person does not have to go through rehabilitation as long as they used to. The athlete can be back on the playing field a lot quicker than in previous times. There is also the fact that the process is a lot less painful. So many athletes who have had to go through the traditional therapy methods find themselves becoming depressed because they long to be back in the game. Instead, they have to focus just on healing.

When the process takes longer than expected, the athlete can begin to feel hopeless. Electronic muscle stimulation has improved that significantly and gives a lot more hope to athletes. It lets them know that it is possible they will be playing again in no time. This is especially important for high school athletes looking to get into the best colleges. It is also important for college athletes wanting to go pro. An injury at the wrong time can ruin potential careers. If treated the right way through EMS devices, losing those opportunities does not have to become a reality. Long gone are the days that sports injuries ruin futures. - 15438

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