Electrotherapy
Electricity treatment - otherwise known as electrotherapy or electrotherapy - is a branch of physical therapy that uses the biological effects of electricity in treatment, rehabilitation and diagnosis.
Treatments are carried out by means of electricity of various types, using appropriate apparatuses designed for electrotherapy. Electricity is introduced into the patient’s body using electrodes that conduct electricity.
Depending on the current used, the effects of current therapy can cause:
- Reduction of pain,
- Stimulating muscles to contract and stimulating the peripheral nervous system,
- Easing inflammation,
- Reducing swelling,
- Locally increase blood supply to the tissues, thereby accelerating their regeneration and improving nutrition.
What are the most popular types of currents in physiotherapy? We characterize them below.
Electroplating
Galvanization is a treatment that uses direct current, generated by a suitable current therapy apparatus. This current passes through the patient’s body between two electrodes and causes a change in the excitability of neuromuscular tissues and the dilation of blood vessels, making it great for treating neuralgia, chronic inflammation, disc disease or osteoarthritis. Due to the electrolysis that occurs under the electrodes, be sure to have well-wetted electrode pads to ensure the safety of the therapy.
Iontophoresis
It is a current therapy also using direct current, by means of which, in addition, a suitably selected substance with therapeutic effect is introduced transdermally and topically into the patient’s body to support the therapy. The introduction of the drug is based on the principle of repulsion of univalent ions (the condition for iontophoresis is the use of a dissociating substance), so the drug must be well paired with the cathode or anode.
TENS currents
TENS currents, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, is one of the more commonly used current therapies both in rehabilitation offices and in home use by patients themselves. For more information on TENS, see our article: TENS currents – use in rehabilitation and recommended devices.
Electrostimulation uses pulsed current, and its main application is:
- Stimulating muscles to contract,
- Prevention and delay of atrophy, caused by muscle disuse,
- Increasing local blood circulation,
- Muscle re-education,
- Maintaining or increasing the scope of the movement.
