Sonic Drive-In - electric muscle stimulator

I’m not entirely sure if this is the right spot for this kind of thing—but since that little gadget is sitting at around $30 now, I was thinking it might make a decent Christmas gift for a buddy. Does anyone here actually have hands-on experience with it? I'm wondering if it actually does anything—or if there's a chance things could go sideways if you don't set it up perfectly, for instance.
Thnx

Look, I’m telling you... it's just smoke and mirrors. You'd be better off buying him something actually useful, really 🙂

btw, I haven't dealt with this kind of stuff before, so who knows.

That’s my take on it too—but since he brought it up, I figured I'd ask... just wanted to see if anyone here actually has some real-world experience with it.

I've heard people say those kinds of machines don't just fail to help, but might actually mess up your muscles and nerves by forcing them to react artificially... I mean, it sounds okay in theory, but who knows...

We’ve actually touched on this before—you might want to dig through the old threads to find the original discussion.

Basically... that contraction is just too weak to make any real difference for someone who’s already healthy. It’s mostly just smoke and mirrors; it won't necessarily hurt you (unless you mess up the technique and end up with burns), but it’s definitely not going to do much if you’re fit and able to actually work out.

You'll get incomparably better results just by sticking to actual exercise.

I was wondering—could this actually serve as a substitute for professional physical therapy involving electrical stimulation? For instance, I’ve personally undergone that kind of treatment before to deal with some knee issues, and it really did the trick—but lately, things have started acting up again. So, I began thinking: could this device effectively replace my regular trips to the physical therapist? It seems to operate on a very similar principle, doesn't it? The only real difference I can see is that the current from this unit might be a bit weaker than what you'd get during a clinical session, though I suppose that's expected when comparing home gear to professional equipment.

Maybe, I guess, but why bother using electrical stimulation when you could just get much better results by working on your quad exercises instead?

I’m not sure if you mean you're trying to dull the pain or actually trigger artificial muscle contractions. To be honest, I've never even held one of those EMS units myself, so I don't really know how powerful they are or what they can actually do...
What exactly were they doing during your physical therapy sessions? (Let me know the specific name of the treatment so I can look it up)

I mean, I do follow through with those exercises—well, most of the time, anyway—but I was honestly just wondering if the whole thing would actually work. Would they have told me to come back for more therapy sessions if the pain started acting up again? Because, let's be real, I’d rather not... I wasn't necessarily thinking about muscle strengthening here; my main goal was simply finding some relief from the pain itself...

I can't quite recall the specific technical names of the treatments they used—I really ought to dig through my medical files (which, truthfully, I have no idea where 🙄 left them)—but I definitely had that electrical stimulation treatment. You know the one? Where they use those two conductive pads that go over the electrodes to run the current; I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about. They apply them right to the area—in my case, the knees, or wherever the pain is flaring up—and then there was the magnetic therapy too...

Casey Palmer5 said:You get way better results if you actually put in the work at the gym.

But what kind of results are people even getting from that stuff???
Honestly, I don't think any.
To me, it's total garbage and just a scam for naive people. 🙂

Supposedly, it can lead to nerve damage...

If it actually worked, everyone would be ripped... not just Schwarzenegger..
i guess i agree it feels like they're just selling smoke right now. maybe something will come of it later, but for now, they're probably just cashing in.

Yeah, it definitely gets results—it helps with the pain. Or rather, it masks the discomfort for a few hours. You aren't going to get any permanent fixes from electrical stimulation. Its main purpose is just pain management, and most people use TENS units (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) for that...

If you're applying it to your knee, you’d place the electrodes on the sides (I'm assuming you have some conductive gel on hand?), then secure them with some medical tape or a wrap. Just make sure you don't walk around while the current is running. Honestly, I have no clue if that specific device of yours can even be used for this since I've never held one, let alone checked the technical specs or actually tried it myself. If you do try it, start at the absolute minimum setting and only turn it up enough to feel a light tingling sensation... nothing uncomfortable. And please, don't blame me if you end up with a burn! Theoretically, it shouldn't happen if you start at the lowest setting, but you're doing this entirely at your own risk 🙂

But like I said... it won't provide long-term relief because you're just masking the symptoms. If you really want to see progress, you need to focus on your exercises.

Ego said:Apparently, it can cause nerve damage...

I wouldn't go that far. Honestly, I have no idea what happens if you stay plugged in for 24 hours straight 😁 I definitely wouldn't test that out. Using it for maybe half an hour or an hour a day shouldn't do any harm. Unless, of course, you completely fry yourself 😁

Casey Palmer5 said:I honestly can't say whether your device could actually be used for that purpose—I've never even held one of those things, let alone looked at the technical specs or given it a shot myself. If you’re going to try, perhaps you should set it to the absolute minimum and only increase the intensity to a level where it feels comfortable? You really should just aim for that slight tingling sensation. And please, don't go blaming me if you end up getting burned—though, theoretically, if you start at the lowest setting, nothing should happen. Just remember: you are doing this entirely at your own risk. 🙂

Wait, hold on—I think you might have misunderstood my point there. I wasn't talking about owning those electrodes myself; what I meant was that I was referring to the ones the physical therapists at the clinic were using on me during my sessions. I don't exactly have a set of those lying around at home! 🙂
I wouldn't exactly go running out to celebrate this—it’s certainly not like it’s some kind of massive relief, is it? And let’s be honest, I know deep down that this isn't a permanent fix... which is a bit of a reality check, given that there really isn't a permanent cure for what I'm dealing with (specifically, *chondromalacia patellae*). I actually have all my medical records and the full history of the condition right here if anyone wants to see the specifics. 🙂 )

Drew Mitchell55 said:Wait, I think you misunderstood me. I wasn't talking about owning equipment; I was just referring to those electrode pads the physical therapists used on me at the clinic. I don't actually have any of that gear at home... 🙂
I wouldn't really bother using it myself anyway, since it’s not exactly a walk in the park, and I know it’s just a temporary fix. Plus, unfortunately, there isn't a permanent cure for what I'm dealing with (it's chondromalacia patellae—I've got all my medical records right here 🙂 )

Oh, okay! I thought you meant you already had some stuff at home. If you're looking to get a TENS unit for yourself, you can pick up one that's pretty easy to use for about $233 online.

Yeah, I'm familiar with that diagnosis. You can definitely manage it effectively if you focus on strengthening your VMO—that inner part of your quad. You'll probably need someone to walk you through the specific exercises, though...

As for a permanent cure... they're doing some crazy experiments with growing cartilage cells, but I'm pretty sure that's still pure science fiction for us... 😁

Casey Palmer5 said:Yeah, I'm actually pretty familiar with that diagnosis—it’s nothing you can't handle if you focus on strengthening your inner quad (that medial head, specifically). You really just need someone to walk you through the right exercises.

I’ve actually had them shown to me already—my aunt is a physical therapist, so she walked me through it... 🙂>

>
As far as a permanent fix goes... there are some experimental studies involving cartilage cell regeneration, but honestly, I think that kind of tech is still strictly science fiction for us. 😁

Well, thanks for giving me a glimmer of hope just to snatch it away immediately. 😁>

Look, come on—it’s really not that bleak. Shalala is actually running a study right now in partnership with some outside experts. They're looking into two different ways to regenerate cartilage.

It's not a total disaster; we'll probably see this become standard practice in maybe 10 to 15 years. Until then, just keep up with your 🙂, and who knows, you might not even need it by then...

User1,

I haven't personally used Sonic Drive-In (Tron, or whatever else they call it), but much like you, I’m approaching this with a healthy dose of skepticism and common sense.

First off, about 99% of products sold through late-night TV commercials are either total junk, overpriced, or don't actually do what they claim. If they were legitimate, they'd be sold in mainstream retail stores.

Secondly, if the claims in those ads were actually true, the manufacturer would be wealthier than Bill Gates. Even at a low price point—something similar to a monthly gym membership—most Americans would be built like Arnold Schwarzenegger instead of struggling with extra weight.

Finally, muscle growth requires physical strain to create micro-tears in the tissue. For this device to work, it would need to generate contractions strong enough to cause actual muscle damage. There is no way AA batteries can provide that kind of power, especially during normal daily activities.

P.S. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see a machine that burns fat and builds muscle simultaneously? 😲

P.P.S. This falls right into the category of those famous "diet pills and slimming patches." You know the ones, where the commercial shows an overweight person who suddenly transforms into a bodybuilder after the "treatment," leaving you wondering if they were selling weight loss aids or muscle builders. 😉

Let me clear things up and give you my honest, firsthand take on this product. 🙂

So, I usually get my gear ordered through Amazon, and this little gadget ended up being a bit of a random bonus in my package.

Now, look, I hit the gym every single day, so I tend to agree with what > was saying earlier. 😉

Anyway, naturally, I strapped the battery on right over my gorgeous abs 😁—which, by the way, are currently covered by a lovely layer of gut fat 🙂 🙂
and turned it up... all the way to the "Iron Man" setting (since that’s supposed to be the strongest)... when suddenly...
when suddenly... 😁

Man... it just absolutely rips through your muscles; it's insane. I was blown away within the first three seconds.
The contractions are truly phenomenal, and honestly, the sensation is incredible.

But I wasn't entirely convinced, so I decided to run a little experiment...

The next day, I did my usual set of crunches, and after a certain number of reps, I felt that same tension and sensation I've had before.

Then, the following day, I took this little thing 🙂 and set it to "Iron Man"... and I have to tell you... the feeling is identical.

There's definitely some kind of trickery going on here...

Still, I think I'll stick to my classic workout routine.

Anyway, that's about it. 🙂