Updated for 2024
If you've paid any attention to social media over the last while, then you have surely seen the explosion of advertising for home therapy and exercise products.
One popular category is electro stimulation, this includes TENS – transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and EMS – electrical muscle stimulation. TENS machines generally stimulate the nerves exclusively for the purpose of relieving pain, whereas EMS machines are designed to stimulate the muscles for the purposes of strengthening and rehabilitating them, but there’s also some pain management effect as well.
One of the highest quality brands in the muscle stimulation market for consumers is COMPEX. The origins of COMPEX muscle stimulation (which in its’ current form is an EMS) began as a Swiss technology product developed for the Physical Therapy market. In Canada COMPEX electrotherapy products have been actively marketed for about 7 years to consumers.
What is Electrotherapy?
It’s the use of electric energy by an external source to cause a physiological response on tissue. An external device emitting electric pulses to the muscles stimulates motor nerves found in muscles, initiating involuntary contraction of the muscle.
Why would I use this?
- To help muscles that haven’t been used for a while (for disuse muscle atrophy)
- Maintaining and Increasing Range of Motion
- Re-educating muscles
- Decreases muscle spasm
- Increases overall force by enhancing muscle strength and muscle mass
- Used as a warm up prior to exercise to increase blood flow
- Increases local blood circulation to working muscles to help with overall relaxation
- Eliminates toxins from working muscles through the lymphatic system
- Recovery
Why choose COMPEX over some of the less expensive products?
One of the biggest differences is the quality of the electrical current. With the less expensive products, as you turn up the intensity you feel like you’re getting zapped. COMPEX electrical current is safe and comfortable, and does not provide a sharp/stingy sensation on skin. Therefore, with the COMPEX products you have no fear of increasing the intensity to initiate a muscle contraction.
The reason COMPEX electrical currents are better? COMPEX is a medical company, and most of the range of products include Muscle Intelligence Technology (MI) – so the device provides stimulation that automatically adapts the parameters to your specific body.
There are a lot of COMPEX muscle stimulator versions, which one do I select?
The great thing with COMPEX is that they have a device to suit everyone based on their budget. You can get into a COMPEX muscle stimulation device for as little as $250.
Here is a quick run down on the different devices:
There are 5 categories of Programs; Conditioning, Fitness, Rehabilitation, Pain management and Recovery. There are up to 999 possible program parameters spread across these categories. As you move up in price, more programs are available.
The Compex MINI
A wireless, mobile-connected muscle stimulator device. Connecting to your smartphone with Bluetooth, the Wireless Muscle Stimulator with TENS to help everybody embrace their fitness, recovery and pain management. Comes with a two year warranty!
Six Programs:
Pre-Warm Up: Rather than contracting the muscle, this program's target is to increase blood flow to help muscles prepare for exercise.
Endurance: If you like long exercise sessions, this program will help you increase muscle endurance by building slow twitch muscle fibers.
Resistance: An all-around program for muscle tone, building both slow and fast twitch muscle fibers.
Training Recovery/Active Recovery: Helps to relax muscles and reduce stiffness following exercise sessions.
Muscle Relaxation/Massage: Helps to reduce muscle tension and provide muscle relaxation.
Pain Relief/TENS: Helps decrease the intensity of pain.
The Compex MINI Wireless muscle stimulator connects via Bluetooth to the Compex mobile app. This app controls six programs to help muscles to recover, prevent injuries, ease muscle tension, improve performance and more.
The Fitness Range (Fit1.0, 3.0 and 5.0)
Wellness devices for the everyday person used for relaxation, pain management and exercise. Fit1.0 and Fit3.0 are wired devices and Fit5.0 is wireless. Comes with a 3 year warranty!
Compex FIT 1.0 - The FIT1.0 is a 4 channel muscle stimulator offering 10 programs in the areas of overall wellness for toning/firming muscles and pain management.
Compex FIT 3.0 - Including all the features of Fit 1.0 and Mi technology, Fit 3.0 also offers massage programs for a total of 20 programs.
Compex FIT 5.0 - This is a 2 channel wireless device which offers 30 programs in the areas of pain management, recovery, rehab and fitness.
The Sport Range (SP2.0, SP4.0, SP6.0 and SP8.0)
Tailored to amateur / professional athletes and strength coaches. They help with power, performance and recovery. The SP2.0 and SP4.0 are wired devices, and the SP6.0 and SP8.0 are wireless. Comes with a 3 year warranty!
Compex SP 2.0 - The SP 2.0 is a 4 channel TENS/muscle stim device offering basic applications for pain relief, conditioning, recovery and fitness. The wired device is the ideal training partner for athletes who practice their activity 1 or 2 times per week.
Compex SP 4.0 - A 4 channel TENS/muscle stim device with 30 programs under the Sport Range of the Compex device family- includes Sport, Pain, Relief, Massage, Warmup, Recovery and rehab programs. The wired device offers rehabilitation programs that can be helpful for athletes with frequent injuries who practice their activity 2 to 3 times per week.
Compex SP 6.0 - A 4 channel device offering 30 programs with sport specific nmes programs, pain relief, conditioning, massage, and rehabilitation programs. The wireless device includes all the features of the SP 4.0 but with wirless features that ensure total freedom of movement.
Compex SP 8.0 - A 4 channel device with 40 programs in the categories of conditioning, pain management, fitness, recovery/massage and rehabilitation. The wireless device was designed for athletes and is the top of the range in terms of wireless Muscle Stim. This can be upgraded to the SP 8.0 WOD, which comes with tonnes of additional extras including an additional two years of warranty!
MI-Action:
Optimizes session effectiveness by combining voluntary contractions with electrostimulated contractions, giving you total control over your workout.
Available with: SP 8.0 and SP 8.0 WOD
MI-TENS:
Makes it easier to adjust stimulation levels for anti-pain programs to ensure optimal results.
Available with: SP 4.0, SP 8.0 and SP 8.0 WOD
MI-Range:
Indicates the optimal level of stimulation to use for Recovery and Massage programs.
Available with: Fit 5.0, SP 4.0, SP 6.0
MI-Autorange:
A brand new feature that enables your Compex module to determine the most appropriate level of stimulation automatically.
Available with: SP 8.0 and SP 8.0 WOD
MI-Technology Programs:
Compex stimulators adapt to each of your muscles to provide the most effective electrostimulation possible, while offering greater comfort and better performance.
The devices are to be used in combination with exercise for proper muscle strengthening benefits. This is because the benefits of muscle strengthening/hypertrophy will not be as significant without the addition of exercise as well.
If you’re interested in purchasing a COMPEX device you can find them here on our site.
