Comparison of Torque and Discomfort Produced by Sinusoidal and Rectangular Alternating Current Electrical Stimulation in the Quadriceps Muscle at Variable Burst Duty Cycles

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation burst duty cycle (BDC) and current type (sinusoidal alternating current [sAC] vs. rectangular alternating current [rAC]) on the electrically induced isometric torque (EIT) and discomfort. Pulsed current (PC) stimulation, which corresponds to one pulse rAC, was included in testing. Design A repeated-measures design was used. The left quadriceps of 22 healthy subjects (mean ± SD age, 33 ± 8 yrs) were stimulated alternately with sAC and rAC current bursts (4-kHz carrier frequency; 71 bursts per second burst frequency) to produce isometric contractions. A range of BDCs were tested for sAC (7%–50%) and rAC (2%–18%) stimulation at fixed intensities while EIT and discomfort were recorded. BDC presentation order was randomized. Results Overall, both current types elicited peak EIT at ∼14% BDC (range, 7%–21%). Significantly more EIT was produced by rAC than by sAC stimulation (P < 0.005). Discomfort increased with BDC and was similar for both current types. Conclusions The study confirmed previous findings that conventional sAC stimulation (50% BDC) and pulsed current stimulation (rAC with 2% BDC) used in sports and rehabilitation produce similar EIT levels. However, rAC stimulation at low BDC (7%–18%) was more effective (+35% torque produced with similar discomfort) than pulsed current or conventional sAC.

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