The history of the EMS method

In antiquity, people already knew about the electrical effect of amber in pain relief. The pharaohs of Ancient Egypt used electrical currents produced by certain species of fish for treatment. The discharges of electric fish were used to treat patients who suffered from headaches, joint diseases, gout and paralysis. Doctors in Ancient Rome used electric rays for treatment — the patient would touch them. The use of electric rays in medicine continued into the Middle Ages.

In the 17th century, the first electrostatic generator appeared, producing electricity. Many inventions emerged whose principle of operation was based on the use of electric current. The Italian scientist Galvani noticed that during experiments, muscles involuntarily contracted under the action of a weak current. Once doctors became interested in electroanalgesia, the fashion for rays irreversibly faded away.

In the 18th century, medicine became a science based on the laws of physics and chemistry. New attempts to use electricity to relieve pain began to appear. Benjamin Franklin should be mentioned — he opened the way for serious research into the effect of electricity on a living organism and on the course of illness. Worth noting too are the revolutionary techniques of Guillaume Duchenne. He was the one who suggested placing the electrodes on moistened skin so as to reduce pain as current passes through the body, and he also indicated the points where the electrodes should be placed.

With the dawn of space flight, a problem emerged — how to rehabilitate a person who had spent a long time in weightlessness. In addition to muscle atrophy and dizziness, cosmonauts were plagued by headaches and nausea, and disturbances began to appear in the musculoskeletal, respiratory and cardiovascular systems. In the 1960s, a team of Soviet specialists made up of scientists and doctors created electrical muscle stimulation technology. EMS technology became the only correct solution that allowed these problems to be tackled during flights and helped to significantly speed up the recovery process after returning to Earth.

Once information about these developments was made public, the method began to be used in restorative and sports medicine, and — thanks to research by German, Hungarian and Japanese scientists — also in the fitness industry.

EMS technology is extremely popular in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, the Baltic states, China, South Africa, Singapore and elsewhere.