An electrical stimulator is a relatively small piece of equipment but it's making a huge difference in the lives of those suffering from osteoarthritis. This type of arthritis is caused by wear and tear on the joints and is often found in the knees, especially in women. One common treatment is to strengthen the muscles around the joint through exercise however for a number of patients the process of exercising the joint actually exacerbates the original problem.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (or NMES) is the process of sending small electrical impulses through the skin to the nerves and muscles below, causing an involuntary muscle contraction. These contractions actually strengthen the muscles being worked with and result in profound changes over time for the patient.

About a third of the patients with osteoarthritis get little or no exercise. This creates weakness in the muscles surrounding the joints and the arthritis becomes worse as pressure on the bones and connective tissue grows as the muscles around get less and less able to support weight. By using an electrical stimulator within an NMES protocol the muscles are able to experience the equivalent of exercise without creating stress on the joints.

A very useful aspect of NMES is that patients can actually learn to use the machine themselves to treat their osteoarthritis. A recent study (led by Dr. Laura Talbot from The Johns Hopkins University) involved giving patients a standard arthritis information as well as training in the NMES process and a machine they could use at home. They applied the NMES to themselves 3 time a week and after 12 weeks they were compared to patients that had received the same osteoarthritis training but no NMES information or machines. The results were staggering, with the NMES group showing improvement and the non-NMES group losing ground in both range of motion and chair rise time.

As such, several new studies are underway to determine the best ways to incorporate the small but mighty electrical stimulator in the treatment protocols for osteoarthritis patients. The fact that patients can treat themselves at home is a major part of the usefulness of NMES. With improvement in symptoms and abilities combined with no increased damage to the joints, NMES is a great new tool in the fight against arthritis.