REMBE Electrotherapy Practice Test

The key idea is how a denervated muscle reacts to galvanic stimulation, which is described as the reaction of degeneration. If the muscle still contracts when the current is applied, even though the contraction is slow and sluggish, that indicates there is still some excitability and viable motor units left, but the nerve-muscle system is impaired. This pattern aligns with a full reaction of degeneration, where a response is present but not brisk.

In contrast, an absolute reaction means no response at all, and a partial reaction would show only a weak or incomplete contraction. If the muscle isn’t affected by degeneration, you’d expect a normal, not slow, response. So the slow, present response fits with the full reaction of degeneration.