Passive Care Exam 1 Electrical Stimulation Practice Test

Which frequency is typically targeted to cause tetany in both slow and fast twitch muscles?

50 pps 5 pps 1 pps 100 pps

Correct Answer:

50 pps

Explanation:

Tetany happens when successive muscle twitches summate so the muscle does not have time to relax between impulses, creating a smooth, sustained contraction. That requires a stimulation rate high enough that the twitches overlap, and in skeletal muscle this typically occurs at a mid-range frequency around 50 pulses per second. This rate recruits both slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers, giving a robust, tetanic contraction suitable for many applications. Lower rates, like 1 or 5 pps, produce discrete or unfused twitches with visible relaxation between pulses, while very high rates (around 100 pps) can cause faster fatigue and discomfort without necessarily improving the quality of the tetanus.

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