Date of Award

5-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Health and Human Performance

Program

Exercise Science (MS)

First Advisor/Chairperson

Dr. Matthew Kilgas

Abstract

Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation, TENS, has been used widely as an analgesic and ergogenic aid for many years. Compared to other modalities of electrical stimulation, TENS has been shown to provide some benefits in exercise performance by reducing pain and increasing endurance in low intensity applications, such as time trial cycling or isometric endurance. While TENS has been shown to have a significant effect on exercise induced pain in individuals performing endurance activities, to my knowledge it has not been examined in high intensity contractions. 18 active young adults (age: 23.11 years ± 2.08, resistance training experience: 7.08 years ± 3.79, height: 170.50 cm ± 7.50, weight: 72.38 kg ± 13.91) participated in a randomized, crossover-controlled experiment, with 3 tests involving a (1) no stimulation control, (2) sham and (3) functional electrical intensity at 100µS and 80Hz. Participants performed three sets of six maximal isokinetic contractions of the elbow flexors while being stimulated for the duration of the exercise for each condition. The average torque, average decline in torque per set, and the participant pain ratings were collected. The ANOVA pairwise comparison showed a significant (p

Access Type

Open Access

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