Electrical Muscle Stimulation

After a car accident, it's common to experience sore, stiff, and tight muscles. At our clinic, we use Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES), a safe and effective therapy, to help you feel better and recover faster. This treatment is a key part of our approach to managing injuries sustained in auto accidents, work-related incidents, and other personal injuries.

NMES works by delivering a gentle electrical current through adhesive electrode pads that we place on the skin over the injured area. This current does two important things:

1. It blocks pain signals. The electrical pulses interrupt the pain messages being sent from your nerves to your brain. Instead of pain, you'll likely feel a mild, tingling sensation, which provides immediate relief.
2. It causes muscles to contract and relax. This gentle "pumping" action helps relax tight muscles and prevent muscle spasms. This process also increases blood circulation to the injured area, which helps reduce swelling (inflammation) and brings more oxygen and nutrients to the tissues to promote healing.

For patients recovering from an auto accident, NMES offers several significant benefits that can be helpful at every stage of your recovery:

• Reduces Pain & Muscle Spasms: It's excellent for calming down acute pain and easing the muscle guarding and spasms that often follow a whiplash-type injury.
• Decreases Inflammation: By improving local blood flow, NMES helps flush out inflammatory substances from the injured area, reducing swelling and soreness.
• Improves Muscle Function: For muscles that have become weak or are not firing correctly due to injury, NMES can be used to re-educate the muscle, helping to restore normal function and strength.
• Increases Range of Motion: By relaxing tight muscles and reducing pain, this therapy can make it easier and more comfortable to move, helping you regain flexibility sooner.

Your safety is our top priority. While NMES is very safe for most people, there are certain situations where it should not be used. We will conduct a thorough evaluation to ensure this treatment is right for you.

Please let your chiropractor know if you have any of the following conditions:

• You are pregnant
• You have a pacemaker or other implanted electronic device
• You have a known malignancy (cancer) in the treatment area
• You have an active infection
• You are an adolescent with open growth plates in the treatment area

Additionally, we take special care to avoid placing the electrode pads over sensitive areas, such as the front of the neck (near the carotid sinus, which regulates blood pressure) or directly over the heart.

Your chiropractor will review your health history and discuss whether electrical muscle stimulation is a beneficial and safe addition to your personalized treatment plan.