The knee is not the hinge joint most people assume it is. Instead, it’s a complex system enabling glide, roll, and spin movements. When you bend and straighten the knee what happens is that the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (lower leg bone) move over each other in sync, with the femur rolling and gliding over the tibia and having a rotational spin element throughout the movement. This allows the lower leg to be in line with the thigh both when bent and when straight. However, add in the knee cap (patella) and there is an even more complex movement involved. As we straighten our knees, the patella is pulled upwards by the quads through a groove in the femur. Provided this tracking is in line with the groove, all will be well. However, if this is somehow even slightly out of line (imbalanced muscle activity or postural mal alignment) and the patella is pulled slightly off track, then knees can become worn and particularly stiff and overstressed - especially if they are subjected to lots of physical activity or heavy loading.

NMES knee stimulation

So how can diPulse help strengthen the anterior knee? Quite simply there are a few programs we can use to strengthen the muscle that is critical for knee cap tracking and knee locking when straight - that is Vastus Medialis (VM). Using the gel pad placement as shown, VM can be strengthened with our hypertrophy program. Why not use this program during isometric (static) knee exercises- static wall sits for example? Or by controlled straight leg raises and inner range quads exercises (the final few degrees of knee extension) the VM will also be activated and this activity can be reinforced with NMES stimulation especially while performing the exercises.

If your goal is to strengthen the full quads muscle group, the diPulse knee sleeve houses the most accurate anatomically positioned membrane placement on the thigh area to optimise your quads contraction. Working with the hypertrophy program, the intensity of the muscle stimulation must remain comfortable but strong. You will gradually be able to increase intensity as your muscles develop and your nervous system adapts to external muscle activation.

After you’ve given your VM or all four quads a really good workout, you can switch to the Capillarization program to increase blood flow and help improve post-exercise muscle function which will help your muscle return to its pre-exercise state. With this program the effect is a type of internal massage, bringing blood flow to the muscles and enabling optimal downtime muscle recovery. As with the Hypertrophy program, intensity should be gradually increased so that you find the optimal level for yourself - as you become used to the feeling it will become easier to find a strong but comfortable intensity that works for you.

Sensory stimulation

If you’ve put your knee through its paces with training and recovery it’s time to have some relief and downtime, why not use the gel pads for sensory stimulation? Placing four hydrogel electrodes in a diagonal position around the front of the knee (as shown) and choosing the Sensory Stimulation program can relieve knee discomfort. Make sure you have the two electrodes arising from the same outlet on the stim module placed diagonally to each other (see red and green placement in the diagram). This will ensure you are covering the full front of the knee in the most effective way for the Sensory Stimulation program.

The diPulse knee sleeve also has a lower stim module placement just below the kneecap which is purely for use with the Sensory Stimulation program. For maximum effect, ensure the intensity for this program is as strong as you feel comfortable with and you can increase this as your body adapts to the feeling - so long as it remains comfortable. The effects of sensory stimulation can range from hours to days, ensuring your knees feel as comfortable as they can after your training sessions thereby becoming the perfect add-on to your downtime routine