Abstract
This study aimed to determine whether an active recovery with added whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) can increase blood flow and lead to blood lactate removal after intense exercise. Thirty-five healthy individuals (23.1 ± 4.6 years) were randomly assigned to: (a) an experimental group using active recovery together with the WB-EMS (n = 18) or (b) a control group using the same active recovery protocol with the suit with no-stimulation (CON, n = 17). Participants performed a maximal graded exercise test followed by an active recovery protocol (walking at 40% of their maximum aerobic velocity). During the recovery, participants in WB-EMS and CON received continuous stimulation at 7 Hz or no stimulation, respectively. Heart rate, blood lactate concentrations, pain/discomfort, and hemodynamic measurements were recorded before and after the test, and repeated immediately after and at min 30 and 60. The between-group analysis showed a substantially greater Peak blood velocity (−0.27 [−0.68; 0.14]) in WB-EMS compared to CON. The pain/discomfort levels were also lower in WB-EMS compared with CON (0.66 [−0.12; 1.45]). Non-significant differences in participants’ blood lactate were observed in WB-EMS compared with CON both immediately; at 30and 60 min. Our findings suggest that increased local blood flow induced by WB-EMS may have contributed to greater lactate removal from active muscles and blood lactate clearance. WB-EMS may be an effective means of increasing muscle blood flow after a maximal graded exercise test and could result in improved recovery.
Highlights
For many years, low-frequency electrical stimulation (EMS), consisting on application of electrical stimuli via skin electrodes to induce muscle contraction, has been used for rehabilitation and recovery purposes
This study is the first that has proposed to determine the impact of whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) as an active recovery strategy after maximal exercise to improve femoral artery blood flow and blood lactate removal in healthy participants
These changes were accompanied by a similar change (ES: −0.86) in blood lactate immediately after a maximal graded exercise test and after 30 and 60 min of recovery (ES: −0.78 and −1.03, respectively)
Summary
Low-frequency electrical stimulation (EMS), consisting on application of electrical stimuli via skin electrodes to induce muscle contraction, has been used for rehabilitation and recovery purposes. Classical studies revealed that EMS on the lower limb increased arterial flow in healthy and clinical populations (Currier et al, 1986) This technique may have additional advantages over other recovery methods as it is easy to apply and can be used by individuals who are unable or unwilling to use other alternatives (e.g., active recovery, cryotherapy, or whole body vibration). As reviewed by Babault et al (2011), when the intensity of the stimulation is high, partial ischemia could be expected whereas a low intensity may not be enough to stimulate an increase in blood flow Given that these devices may not cause a systemic effect, a change in the approach to improve peripheral circulation and venous return by stimulating total blood flow should be recommended (Bieuzen et al, 2012)
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