Influence of therapeutic electrical stimulation on contractile property and fatigability of the human paralyzed vastus lateralis muscle

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES) on contractile property and fatigability of the human paralyzed vastus lateralis muscle. To assess the change in muscle properties, fusion frequency and the time of standing by functional electrical stimulation (FES) were measured. Three paraplegic patients received TES for 15 min from six to eight times a day. A frequency of TES was 20 Hz. At the beginning of TES training, the trace of fusion at IO Hz stimulation showed incomplete fusion pattern. At 360 hours of TES training, the trace showed fusion. The time of standing by FES increased in accordance with the TES training. These results suggested that application of TES program could lead to slow contractile property and fatigue resistance in paralyzed muscles.