ReviewEuropean journal of applied physiology2011
Is high-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation a suitable tool for muscle performance improvement in both healthy humans and athletes?
Review in European journal of applied physiology, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Neuromuscular electrical stimulation improves stability and function in chronic ankle instability: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Metabolic and structural changes in lower-limb skeletal muscle following neuromuscular electrical stimulation: a systematic review.PloS one · 2013Pooled it
- Trial
- EMS-effect of Exercises with Music on Fatness and Biomarkers of Obese Elderly Women.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2020Trial
- All Is Relative-A Call for Considering "Physiologically Informed" Control Conditions to Improve the Mechanistic Understanding of the Effects of Physical Exercise on Cognition.Scandinavian journal of psychology · 2026Review
- Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation to Combat Muscle Atrophy During Spaceflight: A Narrative Review of Mechanisms and Potential Applications.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Effects of arm-cycling exercise during triceps surae neuromuscular electrical stimulation on torque output and fatigue.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Effects of NMES-Guided Scapular Retraction Exercise Program in Amateur Female Handball Players with Scapular Dyskinesis Without Shoulder Pain: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Neuromuscular electrical stimulation training induces myonuclear accretion and hypertrophy in mice without overt signs of muscle damage and regeneration.Skeletal muscle · 2025Article
- The Effect of Electrical Stimulation Strength Training on Lower Limb Muscle Activation Characteristics During the Jump Smash Performance in Badminton Based on the EMS and EMG Sensors.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Muscle Metabolism During Multiple Muscle Stimulation Using an Affordable Equipment.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2024Article
- An electrical stimulation intervention protocol to prevent disuse atrophy and muscle strength decline: an experimental study in rat.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2023Article
- Wide-pulse electrical stimulation of the quadriceps allows greater maximal evocable torque than conventional stimulation.European journal of applied physiology · 2023Article
- Wide-Pulse High-Frequency Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Evokes Greater Relative Force in Women Than in Men: A Pilot Study.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Toward a wearable monitor of local muscle fatigue during electrical muscle stimulation using tissue Doppler imaging.Wearable technologies · 2022Article
- Higher Impulse Electromyostimulation Contributes to Psychological Satisfaction and Physical Development in Healthy Men.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2021Article
- Effectiveness of Different Application Parameters of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for the Treatment of Dysphagia after a Stroke: A Systematic Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2020Review
- Additional effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on knee extension lag, pain and knee range of motion in immediate postsurgical phase (0-2 weeks) in primary total knee arthroplasty patient.Annals of translational medicine · 2019Article
- Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation: A New Therapeutic Option for Chronic Diseases Based on Contraction-Induced Myokine Secretion.Frontiers in physiology · 2019Review
- Ergogenic Effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation During Rest and Submaximal Exercise.International journal of exercise science · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
We aimed at providing an overview of the currently acknowledged benefits and limitations of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) training programs in both healthy individuals and in recreational and competitive athletes regarding muscle performance. Typical NMES resistance exercises are performed under isometric conditions and involve the application of electrical stimuli delivered as intermittent high frequencies trains (>40-50 Hz) through surface electrodes. NMES has been acknowledged as an efficient modality leading to significant improvements in isometric maximal voluntary strength. However, the resulting changes in dynamic strength, motor performance skills and explosive movements (i.e., jump performance, sprint ability) are still ambiguous and could only be obtained when NMES is combined with voluntary dynamic exercise such as plyometrics. Additionally, the effects of NMES on muscle fatigability are still poorly understood and required further investigations. While NMES effectiveness could be partially related to several external adjustable factors such as training intensity, current characteristics (e.g., intensity, pulse duration…) or the design of training protocols (number of contractions per session, number of sessions per week…), anatomical specificities (e.g., morphological organization of the axonal branches within the muscle) appear as the main factor accounting for the differences in NMES response. Overall, NMES cannot be considered as a surrogate training method, but rather as an adjunct to voluntary resistance training. The combination of these two training modalities should optimally improve muscle function.
Indexed as
Identifiers
21909714What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.