Electrotherapy
What is Electrotherapy?
Electrotherapy has been around for hundreds of years to alleviate pain from various conditions. In recent years, it is used conventionally in rehabilitation to increase blood flow, stimulate muscles, speed healing and reduce pain.
How does electrotherapy work?
Electrotherapy is administered using a small electronic device that is connected with wires and suctions or sticky pads to the parts of your body experiencing pain. A mild electric current passes from the electronic device to your body through the wires. When the pulse reaches the pads on the affected area, the pain receptors are blocked and your body is “distracted” from the pain. This is sometimes called your ‘pain gate’ and provides some comfort.
The most common forms of electrotherapy are as follows:
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) are small currents that are transmitted in pulses to stimulate the surface of the skin and nerve ending to create a pain gate
- Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) are low voltage currents that stimulate and cause muscle contractions
- Interferential Therapy is similar to TENS but is delivered at a higher intensity
- High Voltage Pulsed Galvanic Stimulator (HVPGS) are pulses delivered in short intervals to stimulate deep tissues
- Microcurrent Stimulation are very small electrical currents used to help heal soft tissues and relieve pain
What conditions can be treated using Electrotherapy?
At Manual Works, we use electrotherapy to treat conditions such as the following:
- Weakened motor control
- Neuromuscular dysfunction
- Poor blood flow
- Reads muscle atrophy
- Poor joint mobility
- Damaged tissue
- Edema
- Iontophoresis
- Urine and fecal incontinence