Development and reliability of a new system for bedside evaluation of non-volitional knee extension force.

Purpose: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a widely-used technique for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Here we developed and tested the reliability of a new NMES-dynamometer system for bedside evaluation of knee extensor muscle function.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-two healthy participants (16 men, 16 women; 27±5 years) completed two testing sessions, 7 days apart.

Influence of Pulse Waveform and Frequency on Evoked Torque, Stimulation Efficiency, and Discomfort in Healthy Subjects.

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the influence of neuromuscular electrical stimulation pulse waveform and frequency on evoked torque, stimulation efficiency, and discomfort at two neuromuscular electrical stimulation levels.

Design: This is a repeated measures study. The quadriceps muscle of 24 healthy men was stimulated at submaximal (neuromuscular electrical stimulationsub) and maximal (neuromuscular electrical stimulationmax) levels using two pulse waveforms (symmetrical, asymmetrical) and three pulse frequencies (60, 80, 100 Hz).

Validity of the twitch interpolation technique for the assessment of quadriceps neuromuscular asymmetries.

This study examined the validity of the twitch interpolation technique for evaluating side-to-side asymmetries in quadriceps neuromuscular function. Fifty-six subjects with a wide range of asymmetries (19 healthy, 24 with unilateral and 13 with bilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction) took part in the study. Supramaximal electrical paired stimuli were delivered to the quadriceps muscle during and immediately after a maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the knee extensors (twitch interpolation technique).