Due to “temporary” inactivity (for example, immobility from illness or surgery), unused muscles lose mass and strength very quickly. You can notice a decline after just 10–15 days of downtime; however, if the enforced rest lasts a few weeks, there is a significant drop in muscle performance.
This poses a major problem in rehabilitation, as regaining previous strength and mobility requires exhausting, months-long therapy.
If you neglect recovering your muscle strength, you set off a chain reaction of further problems. Read Dr. Zsolt Zátrok’s article on the effects of inactivity.
Muscle Strength Recovery with Electrical Stimulation
Start as early as possible!
You can begin muscle-maintaining electrical stimulation treatments during the illness, even while bedridden (and usually 1–2 days after surgery). For example, after an arrhythmia, pneumonia, or abdominal surgery, you can immediately start strengthening your leg and arm muscles. Without it, you’ll find it difficult to move after 2–3 weeks, even though it’s very important.
Strength-Restoring Electrical Stimulation
Often, you can start muscle stimulation strengthening even before beginning physical therapy. For example, after knee ligament surgery, moving or loading the knee joint is prohibited for days. During this time, the thigh and calf muscles deteriorate rapidly.
However, you can already use electrical stimulation at this stage. The treatment does not cause joint movement, so it does not stress the joint.
The physiological effect of stimulation is identical to exercise—it prevents muscle atrophy.
After wound healing and the rest period, also begin traditional physical therapy! At this point, you won’t need to “restore” atrophied muscles—you can start over with preserved muscle mass.
By using electrical stimulation early, you can significantly shorten recovery and rehabilitation times.
In this product group, we have collected devices and equipment suitable for muscle strength recovery.
