Effectiveness of TENS on Quadriceps Muscular Endurance during Weight Bearing Exercise
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Overview
Overview
Description
PURPOSE: To examine the effectiveness of TENS use on quadriceps muscular endurance during weight bearing exercise for healthy populations. METHODS: Fifteen male and fifteen female volunteers (N = 30; AGE = 21.7 ± 3.1 yrs; HT = 171.8 ± 9.2 cm; BM = 72.8 ± 12.7 kg) provided informed consent prior to participation. In Session 1, participants height, body mass, and one repetition maximum (1-RM) for non-dominant quadriceps was assessed using a knee extension machine. In Session 2, participant’s baseline maximum repetitions of non-dominant knee extensions at 40% of 1-RM was attained. Participants were then randomly selected into three groups: EXP: TENS unit with TENS activation; CON: no TENS unit with no TENS activation; PLA: TENS unit with no TENS activation. In Session 3, EXP, CON, and PLA participants performed maximum repetitions of non-dominant leg at 40% of 1-RM on the knee extension machine. RESULTS: The 3x2 mixed-model ANOVA revealed no overall difference (p=.38) in mean repetitions amongst CON (20.9), EXP (22.6), and PLA (19.7) groups. One-way ANOVA revealed an overall non-significant (p=.71) main effect between Session 1 (21.0) and Session 2 (21.2). The EXP group, however, did reveal significant (p<.05) increases in mean repetitions between Session 1 (21.4) and Session 2 (23.8), while the CON and PLA groups did not. CONCLUSIONS: While TENS significantly improved mean repetitions between Session 1 and Session 2, the overall improvement, however, was not significantly up and above the mean repetitions attained by the CON and PLA groups. Testing with additional samples are needed to clarify if the improvement can lead to significant differences between groups.
