Pain inhibition-the unintended benefit of electrically elicited muscle strengthening contractions.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is effective in muscle strengthening after orthopedic injury particularly when muscle activation failure is present, but the associated pain can be a barrier. Pain itself can produce a pain inhibitory response called Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM). CPM is often used in research studies to assess the state of the pain processing system. However, the inhibitory response of CPM could make NMES more tolerable to patients and could improve functional outcomes in people with pain. This study compares the pain-inhibitory effect of NMES compared to volitional contractions and noxious electrical stimulation (NxES).

Methods

Healthy participants, 18-30 years of age experienced 3 conditions: 10 NMES contractions, 10 bursts of NxE

SUBMITTER: Rudolph KS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9938574 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature