Effects of electromyostimulation on muscle and bone in men with acute traumatic spinal cord injury: A randomized clinical trial.

Objective: To study the effect of 14 weeks of electromyostimulation (EMS) training (47 minutes/day, 5 days/week) on both muscle and bone loss prevention in persons with recent, complete spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Prospective, experimental, controlled, single-blind randomized trial with external blind evaluation by third parties.

Methods: Eight men with recent SCI (8 weeks from injury; ASIA Impairment Scale (AIS) "A") were randomized into the intervention or the control groups.

Time-course response in serum markers of bone turnover to a single-bout of electrical stimulation in patients with recent spinal cord injury.

The objective of the present repeat-measures study was to determine whether plasma serum levels of testosterone, cortisol, osteocalcin or type I collagen C-telopeptide (CT) are acutely affected following an electro-myostimulation (EMS) bout, and their relation to bone mineral density and muscle mass. Ten men with recent (8 weeks) thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI) (ASIA A) and 10 age-matched able-bodied (AB) men performed one EMS bout on the quadriceps femoris muscle. Blood samples were drawn at basal condition, immediately after EMS, and 15 min, 30 min, 24 h and 48 h post-EMS.