Outcomes measured at baseline, week 3, and week 6 included: • Neuromuscular function: MVIC, force steadiness, and motor unit behavior • Muscle quality: muscle thickness, echo intensity, and ultrasound-based texture analysis After 6 weeks of NMES: • Strength (MVIC) and force steadiness (FS) significantly improved in the ACLR leg, restoring symmetry with the non-surgical side. • Motor unit behavior normalized, indicating improved neuromuscular control. • Muscle quality (thickness, echo intensity, and texture) showed meaningful improvements. • At 3 weeks, structural changes were evident, but strength and FS gains had not yet emerged—suggesting that muscle quality improves before function. This study reinforces NMES as a valuable adjunct to post-ACLR rehabilitation, extending its role beyond basic strength gains to the restoration of neuromuscular control and muscle architecture. Clinicians should consider: • Longer NMES protocols (6+ weeks) to achieve neuromuscular recovery. • Early intervention to promote qualitative muscle improvements, even before strength returns. • Targeting NMES on the affected limb only, to restore symmetry in performance and activation. NMES via the Chattanooga Wireless Pro system offers meaningful improvements in quadriceps strength, force control, and muscle quality in ACLR patients. While early muscle adaptations emerge within three weeks, continued NMES over six weeks is necessary to elicit robust functional and neuromuscular recovery. This supports integrating NMES as a routine, evidence-based component of ACLR rehabilitation strategies. Jo & Kim (2025) 9 , evaluated the effects of NMES on neuromuscular function and muscle quality in male patients recovering from ACLR, specifically targeting individuals who had regained independent gait. Ten male patients recovering from their first ACL reconstruction received neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to the affected quadriceps 3 times per week for 6 weeks. Each session involved 30 contractions using the Chattanooga Wireless Pro device. Electrode placement targeted the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and rectus femoris. Stimulation parameters were standardized across sessions: 400 µsec pulse width, 100 Hz frequency, 6.25:12 sec on:off ratio, and 50% of maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) intensity.
Improve Results for ACLR patients with Wireless Pro. Watch this short video which presents a study that has shown that the Chattanooga Wireless Pro Muscle Stim device can help patients return to an active lifestyle after ACL reconstruction. The authors of the study believe that we have reached a milestone in rehabilitation following ACL reconstruction that will lead to the revision of current rehabilitation protocols.
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