Restoration of the Work Capacity of the Skeletal Muscle With Electrical Myostimulation

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of applying mild electrical myostimulation (EMS) or passive rest (PR) on restoring the work capacity (WC) of the skeletal muscles in athletes. Nineteen long-distance runners participated in the study. They were divided into 2 groups according to the principle of rotation: a PR (control) and an EMS (experimental) group. They were examined before training and 10 minutes, 4 hours, and 18 hours after training. Muscle motor function was measured as the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and WC. The intensity of the arterial blood flow and the venous reserve volume with venous occlusion plethysmography, and the stroke volume, cardiac output, and heart rate with tetrapolar rheography were determined. The application of EMS significantly increased the MVC and WC of the calf muscles (p ≤ 0.05) compared with the corresponding parameters recorded after PR. The venous reserve volumes after PR (0.61 ± 0.07 ml per 100 ml) and EMS (0.91 ± 0.11 ml per 100 ml) differed significantly (p ≤ 0.05). Mild EMS is an effective local method of restoring the WC of the muscles. It is greatly superior to PR, which is the traditional way of recovering from exercise. The increased WC of the muscle was mediated by improved blood flow in the stimulated muscles and an increased venous blood pump. The systemic circulation, evaluated with cardiac indicators such as stroke volume, cardiac output, and heart rate, played no significant role in the effect.