Immediate Effects of Whole-Body versus Local Dynamic Electrostimulation of the Abdominal Muscles in Healthy People Assessed by Ultrasound: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Dynamic electrostimulation consists of the application of local or global electrostimulation together with physical exercise. This study aimed to investigate the immediate effects of a dynamic electrostimulation session on the thickness of the abdominal musculature, inter-rectus distance, heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature, and to identify possible differences in its form of application. A total of 120 healthy participants were divided into three groups: the whole-body electrostimulation group, the local electrostimulation group, and the control group without electrical stimulation. All groups performed a single session with the same dynamic exercise protocol. Muscle thickness and inter-rectus distance were evaluated ultrasonographically using the Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging technique both at rest and in muscle contraction (the active straight leg raise test) to find the post-intervention differences. The results showed significant differences in immediate post-intervention heart rate, with a smaller increase in the local electrostimulation group compared to the control and whole-body electrostimulation groups. No significant differences were identified between the groups after the interventions in the rest of the variables analyzed. Therefore, a local application, with the same effects as a global application on the abdominal musculature, has fewer contraindications, which makes its use more advisable, especially in populations with cardiorespiratory disorders, for which more research is needed.

Effects of whole-body electromyostimulation with different impulse intensity on blood pressure changes in hyper- and normotensive overweight people. A pilot study

“…This aspect might have contributed to the decision to deem at least untreated hypertension ( Kemmler et al, 2019 ) an absolute contraindication for commercial, non-medical WB-EMS. To our best knowledge, apart from a few studies that reported results of acute effects of WB-EMS on blood pressure (BP) as a secondary study outcome ( Hoshiai et al, 2021 ; Cassemiliano et al, 2022 ; Alvarez-Barrio et al, 2023 ), no further study has focused on blood pressure changes related to WB-EMS. The fact that the majority of clients of the large commercial German WB-EMS facilities are middle aged to older people ( EMS-Training.de, 2017 ), i.e., a cohort with a high prevalence of hypertension ( Neuhauser et al, 2016 ; Neuhauser et al, 2017 ), illustrates the relevance of providing evidence on acute WB-EMS induced effects on BP in middle aged-older people.…”

Effects of 12 weeks of neuromuscular electrical stimulation of the quadriceps muscles on the function and physio-biochemical traits in functionally fit female nursing-home residents aged 75 + years: a pilot study

“…NMES causes muscles to contract by activating muscle tissue and/or nervous cells (Lake 1992 ). The literature describes two main types of NMES: whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) and local NMES (Álvarez-Barrio et al 2023 ). WB-EMS is delivered using electrodes attached to the opposite sides of the body and stimulates the agonist and antagonist muscles at the same time (Filipovic et al 2012 ).…”