Compex Full Fitness - Manual (Page 175)

English
175
fectiveness of the stimulation. There-
fore, always use the size of electrodes
shown in the pictures. Unless you
have other specific medical instruc-
tions, always follow the placement di-
rections in the pictures. If necessary,
find the best position by slightly mo-
ving the positive polarity electrode, so
as to obtain the best muscle contrac-
tion or the position that seems most
comfortable.
Compex Group disclaims all
responsibility for electrodes positioned
in any other manner.
2. Stimulation positions
To determine the stimulation position
to adopt depending on the placement
of the electrodes and the chosen pro-
gramme, refer to the pictures and picto-
grams on the poster and to the “Table with
placements of electrodes and stimulation
positions” in chapter VII.
T he stimulation position depends on
the muscular group to be stimulated
and the programme chosen.
F or the programmes involving power-
ful muscular contractions, the muscle
should always be stimulated in an iso-
metric fashion. Consequently, you
should fix the extremity of the stimula-
ted limb(s) firmly. In this way, you
provide maximum resistance to the
movement and prevent any shortening
of the muscle during the contraction,
which could create cramp pains and
serious stiffness after the session. For
example, when stimulating the quadri-
ceps, the user should be in a seated
position with the ankles fixed with
straps to prevent extension of the
knees.
For the other types of programmes
(for example, the
Pain programmes
and the Active recovery programme),
which do not involve powerful mus-
cular contractions, position yourself
as comfortably as possible.
3. Setting the stimulation
energy level
I n a stimulated muscle, the number
of recruited fibres depends on the sti-
mulation energy. For the programmes
involving powerful muscular contrac-
tions, it is therefore absolutely neces-
sary to use maximum stimulation
energy, always at the limit of what
you can support, so as to involve the
greatest possible number of fibres.
T he “Table with placements of elec-
trodes and stimulation positions” in
chapter VII provides information on
the energy to use, depending on the
selected programme.
4. Progression
in the levels
I n general, it is not advisable to go
through the different levels quickly
with the intention of reaching level 5
as fast as possible. In fact, the diffe-
rent levels correspond to progress
with electrostimulation.
T he simplest and most usual proce-
dure is to start with level 1 and raise
the level when changing to a new sti-
mulation cycle.
A t the end of a cycle, you may either
start a new cycle at the next level up
or do some maintenance at the rate
of 1 session a week at the last level
reached.
Manuel Full Fitness:Full Fitness 0706 5/02/08 10:11 Page 175