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ABSTRACT Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) and resistance training (RT) on the level of functional fitness in a group of elderly women. Participants: 63 women (60-65 years) were randomly divided into 2 experimental groups (19 in WB-EMS, 22 in RT) and one control group (22 women). Both...
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Citations
... This was the case particularly for the active control groups. A further few studies [30,41,58,59] excluded participants if the attendance rate failed to reach a certain level (<80%), thus the attendance rate was not applicable. In summary, mean attendance rate in the WB-EMS group averaged 94 ± 7% (range 77 to 100%). ...
Whole body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) is frequently presented as a safe and attractive training technology, however evidence for this description is vague. Thus, the present study aimed to provide an overview of different aspects related to safety and attractiveness of WB-EMS in non-athletic cohorts. A systematic review of the literature according to PRISMA searched five electronic databases, two study registers and google scholar without language restrictions. Briefly, WB-EMS studies that reported adverse effects, loss to follow, withdrawal or attendance rates in non-athletic cohorts were included. Finally, 58 eligible studies were eligible. All studies applied low-frequency WB-EMS predominately 1-2x 20-25 min/week. Seventeen studies provided a superimposed protocol. While no study (n=56) reported serious adverse effects, four studies observed abnormal laboratory findings, albeit without clinical relevance. Loss to follow-up (10±11%) and withdrawal rate (5±6%) of WB-EMS trials were low, but did not differ from data for the non-training (10±12% and 4±6%) or exercise control groups (12±11% and 7±8%). In parallel, we observed high attendance rates (94±7%) in the WB-EMS groups that again did not relevantly vary from findings for the exercising control groups (n=20; 91±7%). WB-EMS can indeed be considered as a safe and attractive training technology for non-athletic cohorts, be it with or without health problems.
... Since both groups performed the same training exercises, we can hypothesize that the addition of WB-EMS was crucial for increasing flexibility in the experimental group. This result was confirmed by the study of Vaculíková et al. [56] in elderly women. ...
Strength training elicits benefits both in performance and on a psychological level in women, such as increased muscle strength and improved self-esteem. Whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) could be a training strategy for enhancing muscular strength. The aim of this study was to assess the acute effects of a single session of WB-EMS superimposed over classic resistance training on isometric strength, endurance strength and flexibility. Furthermore, the safety of the protocol was assessed by monitoring the levels of creatine kinase (CK) 48 h after the training protocol was completed. Sixteen active women (aged 22.06 ± 1.88) were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG) (n = 8) and a control group (CG) (n = 8). The EG performed four sets of 12 repetitions of three strength exercises with superimposed WB-EMS, while the CG performed the same protocol without WB-EMS. RM-ANOVA showed a significant time*group interaction on posterior kinetic chain extensors’ mean and peak strength in the EG (F(1,14) = 10.036; p = 0.007; and F(1,14) = 20.719; p < 0.001; respectively). A significant time*group interaction was found in the sit and reach test for the EG (F(1,14) = 10.362; p = 0.006). Finally, ANOVA performed on the CK levels showed no significant difference between the groups (F(1,14) = 0.715; p = 0.412). WB-EMS training led to an immediate improvement in strength performance and flexibility, and this protocol was shown to be safe in terms of CK levels, 48 h after completing the training protocol.
... Most of the randomized controlled trials (RCTS, 69%) applied a parallel group design, three short-term studies provided a cross-over design [42,58,93]. Nineteen nonrandomized controlled trials (NRCTs, 22%) and eight (9%) intervention studies without control groups [28,30,34,54,63,88,92,96] were also included. Predominately due to the study design, the methodological quality according to PEDro (Table 1) varies considerably. ...
... The vast majority of studies were published after 2015 (>90%). The number of study arms varied from one [30,34,54,63,88,92,96] to five [62]. The number of participants per study arm varied between three [65] and 96 [83] in the WB-EMS group(s) and (if applicable) from three [65] to 80 [56] in the control group(s). ...
... A large number of studies focused on cohorts particularly with metabolic disorders and diseases. Apart two studies with sarcopenic obesity cohorts [11,46], 10 further studies addressed cohorts with obesity [17,22,23,38,48,74,75,91,96,100]. However, only six studies considered "obesity" as an eligibility criterion [11,22,46,48,74,75] 5 . ...
Whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) can be considered as a time-efficient, joint-friendly and highly customizable training technology that attracts a wide range of users. The present evidence map aimed to provide an overview of different non-athletic cohorts addressed by WB-EMS research. Based on a comprehensive systematic search according to PRISMA, eighty-six eligible longitudinal trials were identified that correspond with our eligibility criteria. In summary, WB-EMS research sufficiently covers all adult age categories in males and females. Most cohorts addressed (58%) were predominately or exclusively overweight/obese and in about 60% of them, diseases or conditions were inclusion criteria for the trials. Cohorts specifically addressed by WB-EMS trials suffer from cancer/neoplasm (n=7), obesity (n=6), diabetes mellitus (n=5), the metabolic syndrome (n=2), nervous system diseases (n=2), chronic heart failure (n=4), stroke (n=1), peripheral arterial diseases (n=2), knee arthrosis (n=1), sarcopenia (n=3), chronic unspecific low back pain (n=4), and osteopenia (n=3). Chronic kidney disease was an eligibility criterion in five WB-EMS trials. Finally, three studies included only critically ill patients, two further studies considered frailty as an inclusion criterion. Of importance, no adverse effects of the WB-EMS intervention were reported. In summary, evidence gaps of WB-EMS research were particular evident for cohorts with diseases of the nervous and cerebrovascular system.
This essential is intended as a compact reference for issues and aspects related to the innovative training technology of whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS). In addition to background and information on WB-EMS application, in which the authors pay particular attention to safe and effective use, there is a current overview of research results summarizing the effects of WB-EMS on various target outcomes. Finally, a characterization of the market situation, current trends and a forecast of developments in the field of WB-EMS is presented.
Whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) can be considered as a time-efficient, joint-friendly, and highly customizable training technology that attracts a wide range of users. The present evidence map aims to provide an overview of different non-athletic cohorts addressed in WB-EMS research. Based on a comprehensive systematic search according to PRISMA, eighty-six eligible longitudinal trials were identified that correspond with our eligibility criteria. In summary, WB-EMS research sufficiently covers all adult age categories in males and females. Most cohorts addressed (58%) were predominately or exclusively overweight/obese, and in about 60% of them, diseases or conditions were inclusion criteria for the trials. Cohorts specifically enrolled in WB-EMS trials suffer from cancer/neoplasm (n = 7), obesity (n = 6), diabetes mellitus (n = 5), metabolic syndrome (n = 2), nervous system diseases (n = 2), chronic heart failure (n = 4), stroke (n = 1), peripheral arterial diseases (n = 2), knee arthrosis (n = 1), sarcopenia (n = 3), chronic unspecific low back pain (n = 4), and osteopenia (n = 3). Chronic kidney disease was an eligibility criterion in five WB-EMS trials. Finally, three studies included only critically ill patients, and two further studies considered frailty as an inclusion criterion. Of importance, no adverse effects of the WB-EMS intervention were reported. In summary, the evidence gaps in WB-EMS research were particular evident for cohorts with diseases of the nervous and cerebrovascular system.
