•  
  •  
 

THE EFFECTS OF INTERMITTENT NEUROMUSCULAR ELECTRICAL STIMULATION (NMES) OF THE PERONEAL NERVE ON MUSCLE SORENESS AND EXPLOSIVE EXERCISE PERFORMANCE

Abstract

McKenzie Parker, Kylie Nixon, Rebecca Rogers, Tyler Williams, Christopher Ballmann, FACSM. Samford University, Birmingham, AL.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a therapeutic modality widely used for rehabilitation of orthopedic related injuries. Intermittent NMES targeted to the peroneal nerve in the lower limb has been shown to improve indices of blood flow and reduce swelling. However, it is unknown if prophylactic treatment with intermittent NMES delays muscle soreness and decrements in performance following intense unaccustomed exercise. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of acute NMES treatment following eccentric exercise on muscle soreness and explosive performance. Untrained college-aged females participated in a randomized placebo-control design, where participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1) NMES treatment (1 Hz, 20 min), 2) Placebo (PL; no NMES). For the first visit, baseline (Pre) measurements of perceived soreness, ankle range of motion (ROM), calf circumference (CC), and explosive exercise performance were obtained. Participants then completed an eccentric calf-raise protocol to induce soreness immediately followed by the administration of treatment. After 48 hours (Post) had elapsed, participants returned and repeated all measurements again. Blood was collected at the beginning of each visit to measure plasma lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity. Results indicated that there were no differences between PL and NMES with regards to vertical jump (p=0.257), peak isometric force (p=0.337), CC (p=0.556), ROM (p=0.847). Perceived soreness (p<0.001) and blood LDH activity (p< 0.001) were significantly higher Post regardless of treatment. In untrained females, acute NMES treatment did not influence exercise-induced soreness outcomes, nor aid in muscle force development in isometric performance.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS