Electrotherapy In Sport
- Interferential. Interferential is a form of electrotherapy which uses two alternating medium frequency currents. ...
- Laser Therapy. Laser stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. ...
- Magnetic Field Therapy. ...
- Short Wave Diathermy. ...
- TENS. ...
- Ultrasound Therapy. ...
- Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy. ...
- Exogen – Ultrasound Bone Healing System. ...
Full Answer
What are the benefits of electrotherapy?
Jun 27, 2016 · 1. TENS TENS stands for Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. (Transcutaneous simply means through the... 2. ULTRASOUND Ultrasound is a high frequency sound wave. These waves vibrate tissues deep within injured areas, creating... 3. INTERFERENTIAL
What are the side effects of electrotherapy?
CES, also called cranial electrotherapy stimulation, is a noninvasive brain-based treatment being used for anxiety, insomnia, depression and many other disorders. This form of electromedicine is used to treat physical pain-related conditions and psychological symptoms with varying levels of electrical current stimulation.
What does electrotherapy do?
Electrotherapy is used for treating disorders of the locomotive system, blood circulation disorders, chronic inflammatory and degenerative disorders, post-operation conditions and chronic gynaecological problems. It can also have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. Which countries offer this treatment? Czech Republic Bulgaria Hungary
What does electrotherapy mean?
Electrotherapy is a form of medical treatment, which uses small electrical impulses to repair tissue, stimulate muscles and increase sensations and muscle strength. What does electrotherapy involve?
What is electrotherapy used for?
Electrotherapy includes a range of treatments using electricity to reduce pain, improve circulation, repair tissues, strengthen muscles, and promote bone growth, leading to improvements in physical functioning.
What is the process of electrotherapy?
Electrotherapy is a method of medical treatment which uses electric current to the affected areas. It is mostly used by experienced physiotherapists to treat a variety of conditions ranging from muscle pain to arthritis.
What is an example of electrotherapy?
These are some of the most commonly used kinds of electrotherapy: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) Percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS) Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS)
What are dangers of electrotherapy?
In a study on adverse effects of electrotherapy among patients from 148 hospitals in England and Wales, Partridge and Kitchen (1999) reported 98 local effects such as burns, skin rashes and pain and 87 general effects such as nausea and fainting.
How long should you do electrotherapy?
You can begin with one 15-minute therapy session. Repeat for another 15 minutes if needed. Use up to three times per day at a maximum. During each therapy, rate your pain before and after the session, 1 (low) to 10 (high) in order to gauge the true reduction of pain.
What are the three different kinds of electrotherapy?
CLASSIFICATION OF ELECTROTHERAPEUTIC CURRENTS. Electric currents used in therapy are conventionally divided into three basic groups: galvanic current, pulse direct current and alternating current.Sep 16, 2015
What equipment is used for electrotherapy?
Electrotherapeutic devices come mainly in four different forms: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), interferential (IF) therapy, microcurrent (Micro) therapy, and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS).Feb 20, 2018
When did electrotherapy stop?
Today electrotherapy has reappeared as a therapy of choice for the treatment of depression and other forms of mental illness. It had de facto vanished from allopathic medicine from the 1920s to the end of the century.
How does electrotherapy relieve pain?
Electrotherapy uses electrical signals to interfere with the transmission of neural pain signals into the brain. It effectively slows down or distracts the message from the nerve to the brain. In this technique, a small electrical device delivers electrical impulses across the skin.May 8, 2019
When should you not use electrotherapy?
You should avoid electrical stimulation if you have: A change in tissue sensation. Impaired mental status. Presence of an implanted electrical device (the e-stim could interfere with pacemakers or implanted pain stimulators)6.Mar 2, 2022
Can electrotherapy cause damage?
No Side-Effects As electrotherapy does not penetrate the body in any way, it does not causes any side-effects. Even overusing the electrotherapy devices, does not harm the body. It can be used whenever required.Jan 23, 2020
Can electro stimulation damage nerves?
In addition, although short-term electrical stimulation is not damaging to nervous tissue, chronic electrical stimulation can damage nerve structure. After the ultrastructure of neurons is altered, neuronal function may be disturbed.May 12, 2014
What is electrotherapy used for?
Direct current is commonly used with topical antiinflammatory drugs to promote their resorption (iontophoresis). Alternating current or TENS is used for pain relief, utilizing the ‘gate control’ theory of inhibiting pain-related potentials at the spinal and supraspinal level. Alternating current is also used for muscle contraction and strengthening. Finally, pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) is another form of electrotherapy used for pain control.
Why is electrotherapy important?
The adoption and pervasiveness of electrotherapy in private and institutional medical practice and the medical marketplace helped to foster a belief that electricity could induce more general mental improvement – a fact asserted by many patients, medical practitioners, and electrotherapeutic textbooks.
Why should electrotherapy not be used near implanted stimulators?
Electrotherapy devices should not be used near implanted or temporary stimulators because of the potential for interference with the function of these devices. Abnormal vascular responses may develop when electrotherapy is used near sympathetic ganglia or the carotid sinus.
What is a CES?
Transcranial electrical stimulation. Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) or transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) is another form of electrical current applied to the peripheral skin in order to influence the brain.
Why should IFC not be used near open incisions?
IFC should not be used near open incisions or abrasions because of the potential for concentration of the electrical current at these sites. Electrotherapy devices should not be used near the gravid uterus because of potential adverse effects on fetal development or the possibility for stimulating uterine contractions.
Does electrotherapy help with depression?
However, there is overwhelming evidence from patients, medical professionals, and other users that many – perhaps even a majority – believed that electrotherapy provided effective relief for some illnesses, including severe depression, whilst inducing a feeling of well being and sometimes improving mental performance.
Why is electrotherapy controversial?
Electrotherapy in medicine and psychiatry has faced opposition partly because it appears to reinforce the asymmetrical power relationship between medical practitioners and their patients, but also because the more general electrostimulative applications have been comparatively neglected. Although numerous individuals have claimed to benefit from transcranial electrical stimulation, there has been a tendency to downplay these accounts or attribute them to the power of suggestion, because of the professional knowledge and status of doctors, the investment in pain and discomfort made by patients, and also the multisensory drama and power of electrotherapeutic processes. Some historians of electrotherapy have emphasized the extent to which electrotherapy was conducted on relatively powerless subjects, whether (frequently young) women with hysteria between 1750 and 1914, Victorian and Edwardian asylum patients, or soldiers during the Great War suffering from war neuroses or “shell shock.” It has been argued that Victorian patients were experimental objects “invariably drawn from the poorer sections of the working classes,” and therefore objects of charity and thus “docile bodies” unlikely to resist (Morus, 1998, pp. 237, 239 ). In Britain, prior to the formation of the National Health Service in 1948, most hospitals and asylums were wholly or partly charitable institutions, and until the late 19th century were largely the preserve of the “deserving” poor. With their system of rules, regulations, and recommendations, many people were typically excluded, including those convicted of crimes, prostitutes, pregnant women, children, and any thought to be wealthy enough to pay for private medicine. Those admitted were supposed to gain moral and spiritual guidance as well as treatment, and charitable hospitals and asylums provided opportunities for medical experimentation on subservient subjects whilst providing a market incentive for the sale and improvement of electrotherapeutic instruments and equipment. However, for various reasons, including professionalism, natural human sympathy, and the demands of competition in the medical marketplace, many medical practitioners paid considerable attention to applying electricity carefully and sensitively, with full consent from patients. The Georgian surgeon John Birch (1745–1815), for instance, when treating a man for “severe melancholy” with electricity from a Leyden jar applied through the “frontal to the occipital bone and from one temporal bone to the other,” increased the power of the shock very carefully in stages in close consultation with the patient, only recommending the “electrical experiment” after more conventional treatments had failed ( Adams, 1799, pp. 551–552 ).
What is it?
Electrical equipment is frequently used in traditional and experimental medical therapy. In the electrotherapy treatment weak electrical impulses stimulate tissues to improve blood circulation and relieve pain.
How does it work?
Electrotherapy uses different types of electric currents to improve blood circulation in tissues, loosen tension and smooth muscles.
What does it treat?
Electrotherapy is used for treating disorders of the locomotive system, blood circulation disorders, chronic inflammatory and degenerative disorders, post-operation conditions and chronic gynaecological problems. It can also have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.
What is electrotherapy?
Electrotherapy is a form of medical treatment, which uses small electrical impulses to repair tissue, stimulate muscles and increase sensations and muscle strength.
What does electrotherapy involve?
There are several different forms of electrotherapy; these include ultrasound, interferential therapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), laser therapy and muscle stimulation.
Effects and benefits of electrotherapy
The benefits of electrotherapy are wide-ranging and include a more advanced healing process, a more effective circulatory system and increased muscle tone.
Which conditions or injuries will benefit from electrotherapy?
Generally injuries that have caused swelling will respond well to electrotherapy; these include sprained ankles and overuse injuries such as tennis and golfer’s elbow.
Where is electrotherapy available?
Many physiotherapists offer electrotherapy treatments; some treatments are covered on the NHS, while some may only be available privately.
What is electrotherapy treatment?
If an individual is not experiencing sufficient control of pain and other symptoms, electrotherapy—a treatment that directs mild electrical pulses to the problem area— may be an option. See Chronic Pain Coping Techniques - Pain Management. Electrotherapy includes a range of treatments using electricity to reduce pain, improve circulation, ...
What is the purpose of electrotherapy?
Electrotherapy includes a range of treatments using electricity to reduce pain, improve circulation, repair tissues, strengthen muscles, and promote bone growth, leading to improvements in physical functioning.
What is a hand held controller?
A hand-held controller is used to adjust the level of stimulation. While a large number of people find electrotherapy helpful, others do not. The medical literature on electrotherapy's effectiveness has been mixed, and not all electrotherapy treatments are supported by research.
How does an electrotherapy unit work?
Electrotherapy units usually consist of a battery-powered device connected by wires to adhesive electrode pads which are placed on the skin. The electrode pads are sticky, so they will adhere to the skin. Once the electrodes are attached and the unit is turned on, a mild electric current is sent to the skin via the electrode.
Does electrotherapy help with pain?
For people undergoing physical therapy, electrotherapy may alleviate pain sufficiently for an individual to participate more actively in targeted exercises. Electrotherapy is among pain relief options gaining attention as the potential risks and side effects of opioid (narcotic) medications have become more apparent.
What is electrotherapy used for?
While there are multiple electrotherapy modalities that help to define electrotherapy itself, it is essentially a medical treatment that is used for pain relief and stimulation in musculoskeletal (soft tissue) injuries.
What is shockwave therapy?
During shockwave therapy in electrotherapy , ultrasound gel is applied to the troublesome area by the electrotherapist before the probe makes contact with the skin.
How does tens work?
Essentially, TENS electrotherapy treatment works by delaying the signals of pain that are transmitted from the nerves to the brain.
Who was the first person to discover key information that relates directly to how electrotherapy is performed today?
Luigi Galvani (who rose to prominence in the 18th century) is noted as one of the first to discover key information that relates directly to how electrotherapy is performed today.
What is unstable cavitation?
However, unstable cavitation is an undesirable effect that the electrotherapist should avoid during treatment, as it can actually damage soft tissues.
How do shock waves affect the body?
The shockwaves rapidly travel through the external layer of skin, and spread out in a radial wave, which creates an inflammatory-like response in the surrounding area (namely in the injured tissues). This triggers the body to increase blood flow to the area, as well as the metabolism of the injured tissues.
What is Chloe's career?
Since joining the company, she has become a qualified Personal Trainer and advanced Sports Nutrition Specialist. Chloe’s professional interests intersect content-development and the world of online fitness, especially across social media and YouTube, and Chloe has herself contributed pieces on fitness and weight loss to sites including the Daily Star and The Express. Outside her day-to-day role, Chloe enjoys playing the guitar, gaming and kettlebell training.
How does electric current affect muscles?
After all, muscles move due to electronic signals from the brain and nervous system so that an external current can induce similar effects.
How does a pacemaker affect the heart?
However, introducing an external electrical wave through electrotherapy can interfere with this signalling and cause the heart to beat irregularly. That is why physiotherapists are specially trained to position electrodes properly, and you should always inform your therapist of any heart condition before treatment begins.
Can electrotherapy cause side effects?
However, for those who are able to undergo this type of physiotherapy treatment, there are generally very few side effects, and those that do occur are usually mild.
Can electrotherapy cause burning?
Overusing electrotherapy can leave a burning sensation on the skin. A warming feeling or slight pain or discomfort can sometimes be felt during regular application of the treatment. This is normal, but it is worth knowing that some methods or higher intensities can increase discomfort. However, higher levels of discomfort during the procedure are sometimes experienced to achieve longer-term relief from the pain being treated.
Can pregnant women use electrotherapy?
Pregnant women are advised to avoid electrotherapy altogether if possible. Though foetal damage is generally a low risk since the electric waves are quite low powered, there are other, less risky interventions that your physiotherapist can advise in place of electrotherapy.
Does electrotherapy slow down pain?
As mentioned, applying electrical signals can block or slow down the “Pain Gate” neural transmissions to the brain from affected areas of the body. Electrotherapy has also been found to encourage the release of endorphins, the body’s painkilling hormones, which increases the overall effect. Examples of pain conditions physiotherapists can treat with electrotherapy include:
What is electrotherapy?
There are accounts of electrical stimulation therapy dating as far back as the late 18th century, and it is most commonly recognized as a treatment for various neurological disorders.
What does the research say?
A 2004 case report published in the Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics discusses the use of electrotherapy as part of multimodal treatment, including electrotherapy, soft tissue therapy, chiropractic adjustments, and exercises for a patient with rotator cuff impingement.
Electrotherapy equipment
There are three main types of electrotherapy devices. Each one works at different wavelengths and frequencies and is used for different effects. 1
What is the purpose of electrotherapy?
Electrotherapy. Electrotherapy is the application of an electric current to the affected area of the body to accelerate healing and reduce swelling and pain . Electrotherapy is used by our experienced physiotherapists at Physio.co.uk to treat a variety of conditions.
What is trigger point massage?
Above: Trigger point massage of the gastrocnemius muscle by an experienced physiotherapist. The type of electrotherapy you receive at Physio.co.uk will depend on your individual injury and the stage of healing. At Physio.co.uk, electrotherapy is combined with other treatment techniques such as manual therapy and exercise for ...
