Centre de Résonance Magnétique Biologique et Médicale, Faculté de Médecine de la Timone, Université de la Méditerranée, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, Marseille, France.
Eur J Appl Physiol. 2011 Oct;111(10):2473-87. doi: 10.1007/s00421-011-2101-2. Epub 2011 Sep 10.
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.
我们旨在提供一个概述，目前承认的效益和局限性的神经肌肉电刺激 (NMES) 训练方案，无论是在健康个体和娱乐和竞技运动员的肌肉性能。典型的 NMES 阻力运动是在等长条件下进行的，涉及应用电刺激通过表面电极传递间歇性高频列车 (>40-50 Hz)。NMES 已被公认为一种有效的方式，导致在等长最大自愿力量的显著改善。然而，在动态力量、运动表现技能和爆发力运动（即跳跃性能、冲刺能力）方面的变化仍然存在争议，只有在 NMES 与自愿动态运动相结合时，如跳深，才能获得这些变化。此外，NMES 对肌肉疲劳性的影响仍知之甚少，需要进一步研究。虽然 NMES 的有效性可能部分与几个外部可调因素有关，如训练强度、电流特性（如强度、脉冲持续时间）或训练方案的设计（每次训练的收缩次数、每周的训练次数），但解剖学特异性（例如，肌肉内轴突分支的形态组织）似乎是 NMES 反应差异的主要因素。总的来说，NMES 不能被视为替代训练方法，而只能作为自愿抗阻训练的辅助手段。这两种训练方式的结合应能最佳地改善肌肉功能。
