ReviewBMJ open sport & exercise medicine2019
Side effects of and contraindications for whole-body electro-myo-stimulation: a viewpoint.
Review in BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
16 citing papers in PubMed.
- Enhancement of muscle strength in older people using smart leggings with focal muscle vibration technology.European geriatric medicine · 2026Trial
- 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.European journal of applied physiology · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Safety of a Combined WB-EMS and High-Protein Diet Intervention in Sarcopenic Obese Elderly Men.Clinical interventions in aging · 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
- Microgravity-induced changes in skeletal muscle and possible countermeasures: What we can learn from bed rest and human space studies.Experimental physiology · 2026Review
- Whole-Body Electromyostimulation Coupled with Aerobic Exercise Boosts Serum Irisin Levels in Healthy Individuals: A Pilot Study.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025Article
- Sarcopenia prevention in older adults: Effectiveness and limitations of non-pharmacological interventions.Osteoporosis and sarcopenia · 2025Review
- Article
- Non-Athletic Cohorts Enrolled in Longitudinal Whole-Body Electromyostimulation Trials-An Evidence Map.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Non-invasive Body Contouring Technologies: An Updated Narrative Review.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2024Review
- Article
- Additional Active Movements Are Not Required for Strength Gains in the Untrained during Short-Term Whole-Body Electromyostimulation Training.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- WB-EMS Market Development-Perspectives and Threats.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Effects of Whole Body Electrostimulation Associated With Body Weight Training on Functional Capacity and Body Composition in Inactive Older People.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Article
- Editorial: Whole-Body Electromyostimulation: A Training Technology to Improve Health and Performance in Humans?Frontiers in physiology · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Whole-body electro-myo-stimulation (WB-EMS) has been introduced as an alternative to physical training. Data about side effects and contraindications of WB-EMS are summarised. From healthy subjects, elevation of creatine-kinase (CK) activity with inter-individual variability was reported after WB-EMS. No data about applied current types, stimulation frequency and risk factors were given. In randomised trials investigating WB-EMS, CK activity was not measured. Seven cases of rhabdomyolysis after WB-EMS were found, and it remains open whether WB-EMS was the only risk factor. In healthy subjects, WB-EMS does not seem to affect blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen uptake. The lists of exclusion criteria are, in part, contradictory between different studies, especially regarding malignancy and heart failure. Risk factors for rhabdomyolysis are not mentioned as contraindications for WB-EMS. Scientific research should concentrate on muscle damage as a side effect of WB-EMS considering current types applied, stimulation frequency and risk factors for rhabdomyolysis. Research about WB-EMS should include longitudinal muscle force measurements and MRI. Subjects, intending to perform WB-EMS, should undergo investigations by a physician comprising a screen for risk factors for rhabdomyolysis. The education of operators working in gyms with WB-EMS should be regulated and improved. Regulatory authorities should become aware of the problem. Those working in the field should start an initiative on an international level to increase the safety of WB-EMS.
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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.