Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Enhances Lower Limb Muscle Synergies During Jumping in Martial Artists Post-Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Randomized Crossover Trial.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on lower limb muscle synergies during the single-leg hop test in martial artists after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

METHODS

Twenty-four martial artists who underwent ACL reconstruction were recruited and performed a single-leg hop test under two conditions: with NMES (ES) and without NMES (CON). The ES condition involved using Compex SP 8.0 to deliver biphasic symmetrical wave stimulation. Jump performance metrics and electromyographic (EMG) signals were recorded. Muscle synergies of the lower limbs were extracted using non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) to analyze patterns of muscle coordination.

RESULTS

Compared with the CON condition, the ES condition significantly reduced the jump time (0.13 ± 0.05 vs. 0.18 ± 0.09; F = 5.660; = 0.022) and significantly increased the contact time (0.53 ± 0.12 vs. 0.43 ± 0.21; F = 4.013; = 0.049). Muscle synergy analysis revealed three distinct synergy patterns under both conditions. For synergy pattern 1, compared with the CON condition, the muscle weightings of the rectus femoris and tibialis anterior muscles were significantly increased under the ES condition ( < 0.001). For synergy pattern 2, compared with the CON condition, the muscle weighting of the lateral gastrocnemius muscle was significantly increased under the ES condition ( < 0.001). Additionally, the activation timing of synergy pattern 2 was significantly reduced under the ES condition ( = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation enhances jump performance and alters muscle synergy patterns in martial artists after ACL reconstruction. The findings suggest that NMES can promote better lower limb muscle coordination during jumping tasks, potentially aiding in postoperative rehabilitation and performance optimization.