---
title: "What Is NMES? TENS and Pain Glossary | Analgesic Healthcare"
description: "NMES, or neuromuscular electrical stimulation, uses electrical impulses delivered through electrodes on the skin to create muscle contractions, and clinicians..."
url: https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/nmes
publisher: Analgesic Healthcare
phone: +1-800-749-1188
contact: https://analgesic.multisites.ai/contact
---

Therapy

# NMES

NMES, or neuromuscular electrical stimulation, uses electrical impulses delivered through electrodes on the skin to create muscle contractions, and clinicians may use it in rehabilitation.

NMES stands for neuromuscular electrical stimulation. A 2024 review in PMC describes it as a treatment method used to create muscle contractions through electrical impulses. The review says the signal comes from an electrical stimulator instead of the brain, with electrodes on the skin. NMES is close to [EMS](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/ems) in how it works. The two names are often used for the same kind of muscle stimulation. [TENS](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/tens) is different, because FDA describes a TENS device as one that treats pain. The same review lists settings such as frequency, pulse width and intensity that can be adjusted during NMES. Your clinician or device instructions set them. See [TENS vs EMS, NMES and interferential therapy](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/guides/tens-vs-ems-nmes-interferential).

## Related terms

-   [EMS](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/ems)
-   [TENS](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/tens)
-   [Pulse width](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/pulse-width)
-   [Electrotherapy](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/electrotherapy)

## Sources

1.  [PMC: Unlocking the potential of neuromuscular electrical stimulation](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11660796/)

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