Investigation of the Relationship Between Stimulus Parameters and a Human Muscle Contraction Force During Stimulation of the Gastrocnemius Muscle

Abstract

The article presents the results of investigations on the influence of biphasic stimulus parameters such as duration and stimulus interphase interval (IPI) on a gastrocnemius muscle contraction force. Seven healthy volunteers participated in this experiment, and 24 different stimuli patterns were tested. Special attention was paid to the comfort level of a sensory perception while the electrostimulation was applied. During the test, an optimal stimulus pattern evoking contraction at the level over 15% maximum voluntary contraction force and preserving a good comfort perception reported by all of the participants was investigated. It was found that bursts of pulses with width 175 micros and the IPI from 50 to 1000 micros satisfied these criteria. Moreover, it was observed that the increase of the IPI duration generated a significantly stronger contraction force in comparison with the stimulation with the standard biphasic pulses (IPI = 0 micros) having the same amplitude, frequency, and pulse duration. This shows that the modulation of the IPI might be a potentially useful support for the standard force-control methods and may find an application in neuromuscular electrical stimulation systems.

The Effect of an Interphase Interval on Electrically Induced Dorsiflexion Force and Fatigue in Subjects With an Upper Motor Neuron Lesion

“…Only a few studies, all performed with able‐bodied individuals, have investigated the influence of IPI on force production using electrical stimulation (ES). The study by Kaczmarek et al which tested the effect of six IPI durations (ranging from 0 to 2000 µs) on the gastrocnemius muscle contraction force, reported that increasing the IPI duration generated a significantly stronger contraction force compared to stimulation with standard biphasic pulses. Using only seven subjects and multiple test conditions, the study lacked sufficient power to demonstrate statistical significance.…”

The Effect of Electrode Placement and Interphase Interval on Force Production During Stimulation of the Dorsiflexor Muscles

“…Kaczmarek et al. tested the effect of six IPI durations (ranging from 0 to 2000 μs) on gastrocnemius muscle contractions of seven able‐bodied subjects. The authors concluded that an IPI may generate stronger contraction forces than stimulation with standard biphasic pulses (IPI = 0 μs).…”

Evaluation of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on fibre characteristics and oxidative capacity in equine skeletal muscles

“…2007; Gorgey and Dudley 2008). However, a rise of stimulus duration was connected to an increase in patient discomfort (Kaczmarek et al . 2009).…”

“…It has been indicated that an increase in current amplitude and pulse duration increases both the maximum voluntary isometric torque, as well as the percentage of muscle group activated (Han et al 2007;Gorgey and Dudley 2008). However, a rise of stimulus duration was connected to an increase in patient discomfort (Kaczmarek et al 2009). The stimulation characteristics of the present NMES protocol were selected according to previous recommendations (Hainaut and Duchateau 1992).…”