Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33428557›Full record

SynthesisSports health2021

A Comparison of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Parameters for Postoperative Quadriceps Strength in Patients After Knee Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Caitlin E W Conley, Carl G Mattacola, Kate N Jochimsen, Emily V Dressler, Christian Lattermann, Jennifer S Howard

Registry-linked trialOpen access · greenAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Sports health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07171346 (Effects on Patient Outcomes With Post-Operative Use of Zynex Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation), which is not on this map. Cited by 12 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT07171346 naenrolling by invitationnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

Effects on Patient Outcomes With Post-Operative Use of Zynex Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES): Zynex-25

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterRan2026 to 2028Enrolled25ConditionsACL Reconstruction, ACL Surgery, ACL Injury, ElectrotherapyArmsZynex NexWave Electrotherapy Device
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Caitlin E W ConleyDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.
Carl G MattacolaCollege of Health and Human Sciences, The University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina.
Kate N JochimsenDivision of Athletic Training, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Emily V DresslerDepartment of Biostatistics and Data Science, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Christian LattermannDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Center for Cartilage Repair and Sports Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Jennifer S HowardDepartment of Health and Exercise Science, Beaver College of Health Sciences, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina.
Appalachian State University · USBrigham and Women's Hospital · USUniversity of Kentucky · USUniversity of North Carolina at Greensboro · USWake Forest University · USWest Virginia University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

contextPostoperative quadriceps strength weakness after knee surgery is a persistent issue patients and health care providers encounter.

objectiveTo investigate the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) parameters on quadriceps strength after knee surgery. DATA SOURCES: CINAHL, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, and PubMed were systematically searched in December 2018. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were excluded if they did not assess quadriceps strength or if they failed to report the NMES parameters or quadriceps strength values. Additionally, studies that applied NMES to numerous muscle groups or simultaneously with other modalities/treatments were excluded. Study quality was assessed with the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale for randomized controlled trials. STUDY

designSystematic review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 1. DATA EXTRACTION: Treatment parameters for each NMES treatment was extracted for comparison. Quadriceps strength means and standard deviations were extracted and utilized to calculate Hedge

resultsEight RCTs were included with an average Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale score of 5 ± 2. Hedge

conclusionBecause of inconsistent evidence among studies, grade B evidence exists to support the use of NMES to aid in the recovery of quadriceps strength after knee surgery. Based on the parameters utilized by studies demonstrating optimal treatment effects, it is recommended to implement NMES treatment during the first 2 postoperative weeks at a frequency of ≥50 Hz, at maximum tolerable intensity, with a biphasic current, with large electrodes and a duty cycle ratio of 1:2 to 1:3 (2- to 3-second ramp).

Indexed as

Electric Stimulation TherapyHumansKnee InjuriesMuscle StrengthMuscle WeaknessPostoperative ComplicationsQuadriceps Muscleanterior cruciate ligamentmeniscectomyquadriceps impairmenttotal knee arthroplasty

Identifiers

PMID33428557
PMCPMC8167342
OpenAlexW3119052089

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.