By the end of this chapter, the reader should be able to:
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Explain how electrical stimulation produces an action potential in excitable tissue and why the response is identical to a naturally initiated impulse
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Describe the key stimulation parameters (frequency, pulse width, amplitude, waveform shape) and explain how each influences the therapeutic effect
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Explain why a denervated muscle requires fundamentally different stimulation parameters and why standard NMES devices are inadequate for this purpose
In the previous chapters, we examined normal nerve-muscle physiology and the mechanisms by which denervation disrupts it. You now understand what the motor unit does, how nerve injury occurs, and what happens to muscle tissue when its nerve supply is lost. The question that follows naturally is: what can we do about it?