The effectiveness of exercise plus electrical stimulation compared to that of exercise alone, for increasing the strength of the quadriceps muscle, was studied in six male and two female patients following knee surgery. The subjects were sequentially assigned to two groups. In a double cross-over design, the regime for patients in group 1 followed a pattern of exercise alone for one week, exercises plus stimulation for one week, exercises alone for the next two weeks, and exercise plus stimulation for the last two weeks. Patients in group 2 reversed the pattern, beginning with exercises plus stimulation in the first week. All subjects were thus exposed to both exercise only and exercise plus stimulation regimes twice during the six-week training period. No significant differences in strength gains were found to have emerged, according to the type of training performed, but certain trends were evident. During the first and second weeks of training, the subjects who had received exercise alone tended to increase in strength more than those who had received exercise plus stimulation. However, during the third through the sixth weeks of training, the subjects who had received exercise plus stimulation showed greater strength gains. This finding suggests that electrical stimulation may be a valuable adjunct to exercise in the development of muscle strength in individuals who have undergone knee surgery, particularly after the initial postoperative period.

Full text (sometimes free) may be available at these link(s):      help

• PDF locator
• publisher