3.3K
GCThis test shows if NMES is actually working for your quads.
(And if it’s not at 50% of your max—you’re wasting time.)
How I Tested My NMES Setup Properly
Step 1: Establish your max strength with a handheld dynamometer.
My max measured 42kg. This is the most force I can generate myself.
Step 2: Stim the quad and turn up the intensity.
With the same position and setup, I ramped up the NMES intensity until I got a strong visible contraction. The goal? See how much torque the stim alone could generate without me helping.
Step 3: Record the stimulated output.
The stim-only contraction peaked at 37kg. That’s 88% of my volitional max—well above the minimum 50% threshold for clinical effectiveness.
Step 4: Lock in your NMES parameters.
If you can achieve over 50% keep using muscle stim. If you can’t stop. Here is a guide for dosing:
* 15 minutes
* 3-4x week
* 75 Hz
* 400 µs pulse width
* 10 sec on / 50 sec off
* Ramp: 2 sec
And yes—it felt like a crampy quad punch, but that’s the point.
NMES has some of the strongest evidence in ACL and quad rehab—but only if you dose it right.
Don’t just go off sensation. Test it. Measure it. Then load it up.
→ Ask your physio to check your stim output. Or better—learn how to test it yourself.
#ACLrehab #quads #NMES #physiotherapy #kneeinjury #sportsrehab #rehabscience #evidencebasedphysio
@gc_kneegroup
