Abstract
Eleven paraplegics with documented denervation atrophy of their quadriceps muscles were examined for six months to determine the effect of wide pulse width (25 milliseconds) electrical stimulation on the contraction of denervated muscle. Stimulation was conducted at a frequency of 10 Hertz with biphasic sine wave impulses. In spite of the denervation, muscle atrophy lessened, and strength and endurance increased. The time course of the increase in muscle strength was substantially slower than expected with electrical stimulation of normally innervated but atrophied muscle as has been reported in other studies.
