• Vanessa Wellauer, Claudia Morf, Marco A Minetto, Nicolas Place, and Nicola A Maffiuletti.
• Neuromuscular Research Laboratory, Schulthess Clinic, Lengghalde 2, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland.
• Muscle Nerve. 2015 Jan 1; 51 (1): 117-24.

IntroductionIn this study we evaluated the validity of garment-based quadriceps stimulation (GQS) for assessment of muscle inactivation in comparison with femoral nerve stimulation (FNS).MethodsInactivation estimates (superimposed doublet torque), self-reported discomfort, and twitch and doublet contractile properties were compared between GQS and FNS in 15 healthy subjects.ResultsSuperimposed doublet torque was significantly lower for GQS than for FNS at 20% and 40% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) (P < 0.01), but not at 60%, 80%, and 100% MVC. Discomfort scores were systematically lower for GQS than for FNS (P < 0.05). Resting twitch and doublet peak torque were lower for GQS, and time to peak torque was shorter for GQS than for FNS (P < 0.01).ConclusionsGQS can be used with confidence for straightforward evaluation of quadriceps muscle inactivation, whereas its validity for assessment of contractile properties remains to be determined.© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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