Yesterday in my Dysphagia (swallowing disorders) class, we had a guest lecturer on electrical stimulation therapy. Because I know the research base is inconclusive -- or perhaps more correctly, inadequate -- I went into class with some skepticism, but the presentation was interesting and I appreciated the perspectives of the presenter. I did not come to any personal conclusions about efficacy/effectiveness, but that isn't the point of this post.
So we learned that you aim for a sub-maximum motor contraction level of current to be applied to the target muscles. A max motor contraction contracts the muscles so much that you can't un-contract them while the current is being applied. It's a little bit creepy. The presenter needed someone to demo the procedure on before we would all get to try it on each other. (We were doing it on the facial nerve to avoid things like putting the electrodes too close to the carotid sinus and perhaps triggering a vasovagal attack.) Although kind of leery, I volunteered to be the "model." It felt weird -- tingly, then more like stronger pokes, I couldn't keep my eye open, and it also stimulated a nerve to a tooth (which really kind of hurt). Apparently I looked pretty funny because the class kept laughing.
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