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Fatigue reduction during aggregated and distributed sequential stimulation
Author(s) -
Bergquist Austin J.,
Babbar Vishvek,
Ali Saima,
Popovic Milos R.,
Masani Kei
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.25465
Subject(s) - isometric exercise , stimulation , physical medicine and rehabilitation , muscle fatigue , medicine , rehabilitation , electromyography , functional electrical stimulation , physical therapy
Transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can generate muscle contractions for rehabilitation and exercise. However, NMES‐evoked contractions are limited by fatigue when they are delivered “conventionally” (CONV) using a single active electrode. Researchers have developed “sequential” (SEQ) stimulation, involving rotation of pulses between multiple “aggregated” (AGGR‐SEQ) or “distributed” (DISTR‐SEQ) active electrodes, to reduce fatigue (torque‐decline) by reducing motor unit discharge rates. The primary objective was to compare fatigue‐related outcomes, “potentiation,” “variability,” and “efficiency” between CONV, AGGR‐SEQ, and DISTR‐SEQ stimulation of knee extensors in healthy participants. Methods Torque and current were recorded during testing with fatiguing trains using each NMES type under isometric and isokinetic (180°/s) conditions. Results Compared with CONV stimulation, SEQ techniques reduced fatigue‐related outcomes, increased potentiation, did not affect variability, and reduced efficiency. Conclusions SEQ techniques hold promise for reducing fatigue during NMES‐based rehabilitation and exercise; however, optimization is required to improve efficiency. Muscle Nerve 56 : 271–281, 2017