Muscle Mindset: Use EMS to Rebuild and Recover from Surgery

By Amanda Nemade

Astrid Kleinsmith kept walking by the EMS poster outside the Herndon P20 studio on her way into the gym where she worked as both a personal trainer and a group fitness instructor.

One day she finally stopped to ask what EMS is. Meeting Carmen Ruiz, co-owner with her mother Connie, Astrid learned how just 20 minutes of exercise with electronic muscle stimulation can equal 90 minutes of a regular workout with minimal impact to the joints. Astrid recalls: “I was in awe of the tech. I did the exercises. And that’s it—only 20 minutes. I just thought it was the coolest thing.”

And, as P20 needed personal trainers, that’s how Astrid joined the P20 team in February 2018.

Despite being happy both working as a trainer and working out at P20, Astrid’s mystery pain had already begun. According to her, “I started feeling symptoms prior to EMS. I thought it was my hip. The pain was sharp right in the middle of my glutes and then it would lock my leg—all on the right side.” After doctors ruled out her hip and gave her several unsuccessful cortisone shots, Astrid turned to a chiropractor to help her with the pain. With the chiropractor’s encouragement, Astrid had both an x-ray and MRI on her back in late 2022. They discovered her L4 and L5 were almost destroyed, her back had basically collapsed and translated forward. Surgery was the only answer.

  Astrid underwent laminectomy surgery in April of 2023. The doctors lifted her spine, set it in the correct position and put a cage in between those vertebrae to function as a disc, adding bars and screws to hold it all in place. Recovery felt painful and slow, but after almost eight weeks she could begin EMS workouts with some restrictions, such as not lifting weights overhead.

Determined to rebuild her strength and lose weight, Astrid scheduled two sessions per week for the entire summer as soon as she was cleared. Astrid had gained over 25 pounds over the last few years as she was in “really bad shape” and unable to exercise even at P20 for the last year or two. Astrid remembers, “Within the first couple of weeks, I already felt better.” Because EMS is the resistance rather than the amount of weight lifted, Astrid could be “very intentional about her movement” as she recovered. She firmly believes that because EMS Is “controlled” and “very gentle” on the body and joints she could work out and get the same results faster and without injury.

But, for Astrid, improving her attitude felt more important than just losing the weight: “When I started working out with EMS, my mindset started changing and my emotions felt better first.” In her perspective, “P20 helps a lot to develop and maintain that positive emotional mindset. I was exhilarated, more hopeful and happier.” Astrid experienced internal and psychological gains first: improved mood, greater emotional stability and a more positive outlook. P20 supported those gains, which in turn facilitated her physical recovery.

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