03/27/2025
How Does Muscle Contraction Work?
In a healthy nervous system, the brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves send electrical signals to the muscles to trigger contraction. These signals travel through sensory or motor neurons to reach the targeted muscle or muscle group.
When there's an injury affecting the origin of the signal, such as damage to the brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves, the muscle doesn't receive the necessary stimulus for contraction. This can result in conditions such as dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) if the muscles involved in swallowing are affected.
To address this, a Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) device can take the place of the brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves by generating electrical currents that are delivered to the body through electrodes placed on the skin. The electrical currents travel through the tissue between the electrodes, stimulating nerve tissue as it has less impedance than other tissue types like bone, skin, and fat.
By using NMES, the electrical current can reach the targeted nerves and help facilitate muscle contraction, supporting muscle function in conditions such as dysphagia.
