Electrotherapy
Electrotherapy aims to speed the healing process by increasing the blood flow in the affected area. It gently massages the muscle ligaments and tendons around treated the areas. Thus, it helps to lessen the pain, due to decrease in swelling and edema.
Electrotherapy treats pain due to –
- Arthritis
- Post operation incisions
- Tendinitis (inflammation)
- Fractures
- Muscle loss
- Weakness
- Depression
How Electrotherapy Works?
Electrotherapy makes use of electric signals that interferes with the transmission of the neural pain signals to the brain. Thus, the sharp and persistent pain is reduced and more bearable. In some cases, the treatment may include inflammatory and analgesic medications.
The electric signals introduce heat within the deep tissues to arouse physiochemical changes. The heating escalates blood circulation back and forth from the affected area to enhance drainage. During rehabilitation, after trauma muscle contraction needs stimulation. Electric current heat relieves muscle spasms of the problematic area and re-educates them, thus prevents muscle atrophy.
Electrotherapy is Used in Three Forms
Physiotherapist use intellect legend ultrasound electrotherapy structure to treat different conditions either to control the pain levels or improve tissue repair process.
- Ultrasound Therapy
Ultrasound is applied to treat different tissue and muscle injuries. It uses ultrasonic waves to arouse the affected area. In the past, ultrasound was used in diagnostic imaging applications. Due to development in technology, it is currently applied in intense therapeutic applications including –
- Cell repair
- Healing of musculoskeletal injuries
- Pain reduction
- Effective in reviving muscle spasms
- Enhances joint contractures
How Ultrasound Works?
Ultrasound gel is applied on the probe or wand surface to decrease friction and enhance the ultrasonic wave’s transmission. The ultrasonic waves bypass through the skin causing local tissue vibration. This causes local heating, which is not experienced by the patient. The local blood flow increases, which lessens the local swelling, constant inflammation and encourage bone fracture healing.
1. TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)
Electrotherapy is also called TENS. It is a non-invasive drug therapy intended to relieve arm, leg, and foot from numbness.
TENS uses battery-operated device to deliver signals across the skin through conducting pads. It is safe and an effective technique. Clinically, it is vital to allow the patient to determine their optimum treatment frequency. Certainly, frequency vary between patients therefore setting the device and telling them the setting is right may not possibly offer maximum effective treatment.
2. Interferential current (IFC)
The IFC machine passes electric current via affected region. It penetrates deeper than the other modalities. Physiological stimulation includes increase in blood pour, which enhances the transportation of nutrients required for healing. Thus the swelling reduces and ultimately damaged tissue gets removed. In addition, the local nerve cells get stimulated offering pain reducing effect.
Precautions
- The applicator must be kept moving all throughout the treatment (direction and speed is not an issue)
- Always use low intensity to produce therapeutic response
- The patient must be aware of the therapy process and its anticipated results
- Caution is advised near implanted electronic device or cardiac pacemaker
- Constant ultrasound is regarded as risky over metal implants
- Local cancerous or malignant tissue
- Pregnancy
- Local acute infection
- Over vascular abnormalities or thrombosis areas
- Direct application to eye, heart, spinal cord, brain, reproductive organs
- Internally
- On broken skin
The three forms of electrotherapy are used commonly in sports treating injuries.
