Quick Overview

Sydney scientists tested EMS cycling in seven women with advanced multiple sclerosis.

They ran 18 sessions of 40 minutes. Current rose slowly. Pedal speed stayed at 10 rpm.

They measured current, power, heart rate, oxygen use, and thigh size. Peak EMS reached 91 mA in the thighs. That was higher than an older MS study. Estimated thigh volume rose 10.7% and 11.6%. Heart rate rose from 67 to 85. Oxygen use more than doubled. Many rated transfers better.

The findings suggest EMS can help people with weak legs still work muscle, size, and transfers. The authors say it may also help people with cerebral palsy or incomplete spinal injury.

The work came from the University of Sydney and Neuroscience Research Australia. It was published in Sweden’s Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Read the full post for the session details and the exact numbers.

We always provide direct links to the original research at the end of every article so you can review the evidence yourself.

Electric Pulses Helped People With Severe MS Keep Working Their Legs

Some people want to move. Their legs will not listen.

That is the hard part of advanced multiple sclerosis. Walking can fade. Transfers get harder. Exercise can feel out of reach.

A research team in Sydney asked a simple question. Could EMS still give those legs useful work?

This is a report on that published study. It is not an advert. It is not medical advice.

Who ran the work

Dr Ché Fornusek led the project at the University of Sydney.

Dr Phu Hoang worked with him. He was based at Neuroscience Research Australia and the University of New South Wales.

The work also linked to the MS Study Centre in Lidcombe.

The paper appeared in 2014 in the Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine.

That journal is published in Sweden. Sweden has a long record of careful medical research.

The university ethics committee approved the protocol. Every volunteer gave consent.

What the study set out to do

The purpose was feasibility.

Could people with advanced MS tolerate neuromuscular electrical stimulation while cycling?

Could the team raise the EMS level slowly, so the work felt possible?

Would the legs show any measured change after training?

The researchers also asked if the same idea might help other people. That included people with weak legs who still feel sensation.

Who took part

Eight women volunteered. All had secondary progressive MS.

Their disability scores sat between 6.5 and 8.5. The average score was 7.4.

Most used a manual wheelchair. One used a power wheelchair. Two walked with a rollator.

One woman stopped after 13 sessions. Seven women finished 18 sessions.

Those seven trained about 1.8 times a week. The program lasted about 10 weeks.

How the EMS cycling worked

Each session lasted 40 minutes.

Pads sat on the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles.

The machine turned the pedals at a slow 10 revolutions a minute.

That slow speed was chosen to let the muscles produce more force.

The current did not jump up and down to chase speed.

It started near 30 mA. Then it rose slowly for the first 20 minutes.

The idea was simple. Give the nerves time to settle. Then do more work.

By session six, every completer managed a full 40 minutes.

The bright finding: more EMS was possible

Older MS cycling work often used lower current.

One earlier study reported a mean of about 52 mA.

In this Sydney study the levels went higher.

By session six the mean peak current was:

• 91 mA for the quadriceps
• 86 mA for the hamstrings
• 69 mA for the gluteal muscles

That matters. More current can recruit more muscle fibres.

The team’s point was clear. When EMS is raised gently, people with sensation may accept more of it.

More accepted current meant more muscle work in the same session.

What the numbers showed

In the last session, mean cycling power was 5.2 watts. Peak power was 7.7 watts.

Those numbers are small. The legs were still working.

Five women also had breathing tests.

Heart rate rose from about 67 beats a minute to about 85.

Oxygen use rose from 183 to 407 millilitres a minute.

Breathing rose from 6.9 to 17.0 litres a minute.

People rated the effort as light. Mean score was 12 on the 6 to 20 scale.

Pain from the pulses sat near 5.7 out of 10. Tiredness sat near 5.2 out of 10.

So the session was work. It was not an all-out fight.

Thigh size changed

The team measured thigh girth at three points on each leg.

They used those measures to estimate thigh volume.

After training, estimated left thigh volume rose by 10.7 percent.

Estimated right thigh volume rose by 11.6 percent.

Those changes reached statistical significance.

The paper was careful here. Tape measures cannot prove pure muscle gain.

Fat and fluid can also change a number. Still, the volume went up in most legs.

What the women said they felt

This part is self-report. It is not a lab scan.

They rated standing transfers on a scale from minus 7 to plus 7.

The median rating was plus 4. That sits in the “moderately better” range.

Women with scores of 7.0 and 7.5 reported the biggest transfer change.

Other comments included better circulation, more strength, and less spasm.

One woman found the sessions tiring. One noted stiff legs the next morning.

The researchers told volunteers not to push the pedals on purpose.

So the reported changes were tied to the EMS cycling itself.

Who else might this idea suit

The authors did not claim a cure.

They said the method may also suit other people with weak legs and preserved feeling.

They named examples such as cerebral palsy and incomplete spinal cord injury.

That is a suggestion for future research. It is not proof for every group.

What this study cannot tell you

It was small. There were only seven finishers.

All finishers were women. There was no comparison group.

It cannot prove EMS treats MS. It cannot prove walking will return.

It cannot stand in for a doctor’s plan.

Heat sensitivity showed up late in some sessions. A fan was enough in the lab.

Anyone with a pacemaker, epilepsy, or other risk factors was excluded.

Why the paper still matters

People with advanced MS often lose ways to train their legs.

This team showed a practical path. Start low. Rise slowly. Keep the cadence slow.

In that setting, volunteers accepted higher EMS than earlier MS cycling reports.

The legs still produced power. Thigh volume estimates rose. Transfers felt easier to many.

That is the bright side the data support. More tolerated EMS meant more muscle work.

Source

Fornusek C, Hoang P. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation cycling exercise for persons with advanced multiple sclerosis. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine. 2014;46:698–702.

This article reports one published study. It does not sell a device. Speak with a clinician before trying any electrical stimulation program.

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7.   EMS   vs TENS: What are the differences?

8. Can  EMS  play a role after stroke?

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