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molded elements are fitted around
the patella to better align it, reduce
shock and vibration, manage pain and
provide air circulation. The Webtech
Knee has dual axis pivot points to
improve articulation and fit, but with
more mobility than the more-stable
Bionic line. An undersleeve provides
next-to-skin comfort, and the venti-
lated thermoformed foam back pads
distribute pressure over a wider area,
keeping the brace in its place without
undue force. A couple of nice ameni-
ties thrown into the mix are a stash
pocket and a reflective color pop for
those who do not use low light as an
excuse to get out of rehab.
Added Stimulation
Along with huge advances in
compression and bracing, DonJoy’s
entry into the realm of neuromuscu-
lar electronic simulation (NMES) will
bring athletes performance-enhancing
results without the use of banned
substances. The technology has been
around since the 1960s, often cited
by sports physiologists during the
Soviet Block era. Russian doctor Yakov
Kots is often attributed to bringing
so-called Russian Electrical Stimula-
tion to sports. Kots is reported to have
advocated a stimulus regimen that
he claimed increased the maximum
voluntary contraction (MVC) of elite
athletes by up to 40 percent.
Many years later, Professor Tom Wat-
son from the University of Hertfordshire
(U.K.) described electrical stimulation as
a medium frequency alternating current
that is delivered in a pulsed output
at a low frequency in such a way that
the nerves will respond. It is primarily
employed as a means to generating a
motor response, explained Watson. In
other words, the technology brings a
level of strengthening, recovery and
muscle building not possible by the
athlete alone.
Compex Wireless USA Muscle
Stimulator, a state-of-the-art NMES
without the bother of being tethered to
four wires (SRP: $1,149)
However, until 2015, the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration controlled
the use of electrical muscle stimula-
tion in the U.S. – the devices found
in any physical therapy office or
sports medicine clinic. Now, as rede-
fined by the FDA, electrical stimula-
tion or NMES can be used to “tempo-
rarily affect the stimulated muscles
contractile properties, force output,
and/or fatigue resistance … for the
purpose of conditioning.” In turn,
DonJoy acquired Compex, a two-
decades-old Swiss NMES company
with a range of products for elite-
level athletes and weekend warriors.
In DonJoy fashion, it quickly upped
the ante with the introduction of
the market’s first and only wireless
NMES unit, the Compex Wireless
USA Muscle Stimulator.
TM
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