Tendinous pains of the elbow (epicondylitis = tennis elbow)


All tendons of the muscles that allow us to stretch our hand, wrist and fingers end at the small external bone mass of the elbow (epicondyle). The movements of the hands and fingers therefore emit tension which is focused on the end of the tendons of this bone mass.

When hand movements are repetitive, as is the case for painters, tennis players or even those who constantly use the mouse of a computer system, small injuries, accompanied by inflammation and pain, develop in the region of the epicondyle. This is known as "epicondylitis", which is characterised by pain around the external bone mass of the elbow when pressure is applied or when the forearm muscles are contracted.

The Compex Tennis Elbow programme supplies specific currents to combat this type of pain. It works as a complement to rest.

However, it is necessary to consult your doctor if the pain gets worse or does not disappear quickly after a few sessions.

Muscular pains of the low back region

Low-back pain is the most frequently encountered pain. In a standing position, the entire weight of the trunk is concentrated on the joints between the last vertebrae and the sacrum. The low back region is therefore under particular strain. The discs between the vertebrae are crushed and the low back muscles contractured and painful.
There are a great many treatments for the relief of low back pain sufferers; among these, the specific currents of the Compex Low back pain programme provide an appreciable improvement and can even resolve the problem if it is essentially muscular in origin.

Preparation for a swimmer training three times a week and wishing to improve his swimming power

In swimming, developing the propulsion force of the upper limbs is an important factor for improving performance. Certain forms of voluntary training practised in the water can contribute to this. However, integrating main back muscular stimulation into the voluntary training programme makes it possible to achieve far better results. The special muscular contraction regime of the Strength programme and the large amount of work to which muscles are subjected will allow you to increase significantly the strength of the latissimus dorsi, key muscles for the swimmer.

Disuse atrophy of the quadriceps after a trauma

The quadriceps is a voluminous muscle located in the anterior part of the thigh. It is the main muscle which enables the knee to be tensed; its role is therefore essential in walking, running, climbing stairs, etc. Any trauma caused to a lower member causes atrophy of this muscle, the reduction in muscle volume being more or less significant depending on the period of inactivity.
This disuse atrophy is usually considerable when it occurs after trauma to the knee, particularly if the trauma has been treated by surgery.


The programmes of the REHABITILATION category are specifically suited for treating the alteration of the muscle fibres which results from such a process. The progressiveness of the work imposed by the different recommended programmes is decisive in obtaining optimum results.
The Disuse Atrophy programme should be used in the first few weeks. You should then successively use the Muscle Growth then the Reinforcement programmes depending on the protocol indicted in the user manual of the stimulators which have Rehabilitation category programmes.

NB: some situations, some types of surgery prohibit the early use of these programmes which must always be used with the agreement of a healthcare professional and according to their recommendations.

Pre-season preparation for the explosive strength of the quadriceps in a sportsman training three times a week (long jump or high jump, sprint, etc.)

For all sports whose essential factor of performance is the explosive strength of muscles, specific muscular preparation is the essential element of pre-season preparation. The explosive strength of muscles may be defined as the capacity of a muscle to attain a high level of maximum strength as quickly as possible. To develop this quality, voluntary training relies on tiring muscle training sessions or exercises that often include the risk of injury, since they are necessarily carried out using heavy weights or put pressure on the joints. Integrating the use of the Explosive strength programme lightens the demanding voluntary training sessions while at the same time offering greater benefits and more time for technical work.

Muscular and circulation conditioning before physical activity

Regular sportsmen and women are well aware of the often painful transition between a resting activity and occasional physical activity.
The purpose of the usual warm-up techniques is to respond to this need to activate progressively the physiological functions involved during one-off physical efforts. This physiological need is also very desirable for moderate but unusual physical efforts, as is frequently the case for most of us (treks, biking, jogging, etc.).
The Toning massage programme offers an ideal benefit in the form of optimal muscular and circulation conditioning before any type of physical effort. It allows us to avoid the uncomfortable sensations – usually experienced during the first few minutes of unusual physical efforts – and to limit the secondary consequences of insufficient preparation (aches, etc.).

To reduce the duration and intensity of muscular aches and pains in the quadriceps.

Electrostimulation both activates blood flow, and speeds up the production of endorphins, thus reducing tension in the muscle fibres. This programme can relieve muscular soreness and is effective even if aches and pains have already started.
Muscular soreness is a painful phenomenon affecting an entire muscle or a muscle group. They appear the day after an unusually long and/or intensive effort. Not a really serious condition, the soreness disappears in a few days, but impairs everyday movement such as walking or coming down stairs, for example. It represents microscopic injuries to the muscle tissue which will set the repair process in motion. The Relaxing Massage programme relieves the pain caused by by muscle soreness by stimulating endorphin production (a natural substance with analgesic properties), by reducing tension in the muscle fibres and by inducing greatly increased local blood circulation favourable to recovery.

Improved muscle recovery of the quadriceps after a trail race

The Active Recovery programme must be used in the 3 hours following the end of intensive effort. It does not cause contractions but simple muscle twitches that are not tiring, which have the effect of speeding up the elimination of toxins which clog up the muscles and relieving muscle tensions and pain. The recovery session can be done in any position that feels comfortable. It does not require the use of high stimulation intensities. Other measures aiming to encourage recovery such as rehydration must obviously be maintained and done at the same time.

Combat a feeling of localised heaviness or an occasional state of tiredness

The many constraints of everyday life are often responsible for uncomfortable or even painful physical sensations. A circulatory slow-down is often secondary to insufficient physical activity, frequently amplified by the professional need to keep in the same position for long hours (in a seated position, for example).
Not a really serious condition, this simple "vascular slow-down" is nevertheless often the cause of unpleasant feelings (for example: feeling of heaviness or weight often localised in the lower limbs but also, sometimes, in another area of the body).
The Reviving Massage programme induces, with the greatest comfort, a significant circulatory reaction which improves tissue oxygenation and eliminates painful feelings, further to insufficient physical activity.

Pre-season preparation of the lactic capacity for a resistance sport, with three active training sessions a week (800m race, track cycling, etc.)

Example of schedule for developing the lactic capacity (resistance) of the quadriceps.
During the pre-season preparation period for sports requiring a lot of lactic anaerobic effort (intense effort sustained for as long as possible), it is essential not to forget specific muscular preparation. Stimulation of the quadriceps (or a different key muscle group depending on the discipline practised) by means of the Resistance programme results in improved anaerobic power, as well as greater muscle tolerance to high concentrations of lactates. The benefits in the field are obvious:
improved performance thanks to better muscular resistance to fatigue for exercises of the lactic anaerobic type.

Preparation for a cyclist training three times a week and wishing to progress in endurance

Long efforts make demands on the aerobic metabolism for which the crucial factor is the amount of oxygen consumed by the muscles. To progress in endurance, it is therefore necessary to increase as much as possible the supply of oxygen to the muscles stimulated by this type of effort. Because oxygen is conveyed by the blood, it is essential to have an efficient cardiovascular system, due to voluntary training under certain conditions. However, a muscle capacity to consume the oxygen it receives (oxidative capacity) can also be improved by following a specific work regime.
The Endurance programme applied on the quadriceps entails a significant increase in the consumption of oxygen by the muscles.



Preparation for a runner training three times a week and wishing to progress in endurance (half-marathon, marathon)

Building up kilometres running is essential if you want to progress in long races. However, on the one hand this requires time which not all runners have and, on the other hand, everyone now acknowledges the traumatic nature of this type of training for the tendons and joints. Integrating Compex electrostimulation into the training of the long-distance runner offers an excellent alternative that can help to overcome this two-fold problem. The Endurance programme, which improves the muscles’ ability to absorb oxygen, and the Capillarisation programme, which develops the capillaries in the muscles, allow greater endurance to be achieved while limiting the weekly mileage and therefore the risk of injury.

Use of the Potentiation programme to optimise the effects of explosivity (sprints, jumps, squash, football, basket-ball, etc.) immediately before specific training or a competition

The Potentiation programme must not replace voluntary warm-up usually done before a competition. Activation of the cardiovascular system, short accelerations becoming progressively faster, practice starts and stretching will therefore be carried out by the athlete according to his normal routine. A Potentiation session of short duration (approximately 3 minutes) will be applied on the sprinter’s quadriceps immediately before the start of his race (or races, in the event of qualifying events). The specific muscular activation of the Potentiation programme allows the maximum level of performance to be attained in the very first seconds of the race.