here it is: after 2 or so months of my knee getting a “weak” feeling everytime i put pressure on it via squat, sprinting, and jumping i went to see my ortho. oh, not to mention my VMO had literally lost about 35% of the muscle mass on it, and this is my dominant leg so i knew something was very wrong. after exam, x-rays, and mri, turns out to be tendonitis in 2 separtate areas of my knee, and an abnormally tight IT band, which was causing trouble down the outside of my knee and behind it. well, only 5 sessions into therapy, EMS has honestly put size back on my VMO. it is not where it should be yet, but i find the results quite amazing. the muscle on the lower partof my VMO had become mushy, and already it has gained back its hardness. massage & stretching is helping with the IT & tendonitis, but the EMS is progressively helping everything. i still have over a month of therapy to go @ 3x per week. to those wondering how my therapist sets the EMS, 10 seconds on; 30 seconds rest, repeated for 10 minutes @ 24.5.
clemson, i’ll update at the end of every week. i’d love to hear charlie chime in & give his thoughts…
It’s the real deal alright. Check the EMS threads and my article in the archives. We dealt with it extensively there. There is a chapter in the CFTS manual describing its use.
charlie, or anyone who can elaborate, i believe on the old board it was said the optimal rest period was 50 seconds, can anyone expand?
Excellent ESPN3! I’m glad to hear that it is working out well for you.
I would assume that the 50 sec rest period is for times when you are doing maximal contractions. If they are sub maximal, shorter rest periods are probably ok (but not optimal.) In a rehab protocol, it is likely that you are using EMS submaximally.
I will be interested in seeing how much your progress continues. I recall reading some (russian?) studies that indicate EMS is most effective over 15 - 25 treatments and then gains come to a screeching halt. As a matter of fact, I think Charlie has similar info in CFTS. Sounds like you will be pushing the high end of this range.
Good luck!
xlr8