The Neubie is a breakthrough neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) device utilizing direct current.
The Neubie® is a device that uses an updated form of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to send electrical impulses through the skin to the nerves, resulting in muscle contractions and sensory impulses*1,2. The NMES technology imitates the action potentials of both the peripheral and central nervous systems, allowing for communication with virtually all parts of the body*3. The impulses stimulate muscle and other tissues, including contractile and sensory muscle fibers and sensory and motor neurons. The stimulation also leads to increased blood flow in the areas where it’s applied*2-7.
Enhance Long-term Outcomes
Using NMES in training and therapeutic rehabilitation programs can improve long-term outcomes by supporting the adaptation of cells in muscles, blood vessels, and nerves*8. This technology has been successfully used in conjunction with other therapies for muscle re-education and maintaining or increasing range of motion in patients who have a history of orthopedic problems*1,9,10, and neurological conditions including stroke or spinal cord injury*18- 23, and to enhance overall fitness and health through training regimens*24-30.
Neubie's DC Technology
The Neubie is a unique NMES device for several reasons. It uses pulsed direct current (DC) instead of alternating current (AC), which has been shown to have numerous positive biological effects, including the acceleration of the body's own healing and repair processes*31-36 as well as unique effects on nervous system function*36-39. Most other NMES devices use AC, which are cheaper and easier to engineer but do not have the same effects at the cellular level.
The Neubie's DC technology allows practitioners to use an "input-based" approach to rehabilitation and training by sending inputs into tissue that can influence the body's outputs and responses to stimuli. DC also allows for more specific contractile movement at higher amplitudes and has a longer phase duration, requiring less intensity to evoke an action potential, and making it more useful and efficient for training and rehabilitation. It can also activate denervated muscles, which requires a longer pulse length that can only be achieved with DC*40. In the past, the power of DC devices has been limited due to the potential for charge buildup and skin irritation, but the Neubie includes an additional waveform that dissipates heat and charge buildup, allowing for higher-intensity stimulation without irritation.
The Neubie is often used in combination with the NeuFit System for neuromuscular re-education. This system is based on research demonstrating that electrical stimulation can impact reflex patterns*40-43, brain activity*44-47, muscle output*48,49, and pain*49-52. Unlike traditional e-stim treatments, which involve passive acceptance of the current while lying down, treatments with the Neubie and NeuFit System are active, allowing for movement and optimal eccentric contractions. These contractions have been shown to be crucial for effective rehabilitation*53-55. The combination of the Neubie and NeuFit System generates neuromuscular adaptations while allowing for the adjustment of motor control in voluntary movement, leading to greater induction of muscular adaptations, improved performance of complex dynamic movements, and faster recovery of muscle contractility and functional abilities*56.