ELECTROTHERAPY
Electrotherapy is a safe and effective way for you to maintain a pain free lifestyle without the dangers of prescription drugs. Electrotherapy also reduces pain by altering the receptors and messengers responsible for sending and receiving pain signals. The use of electrotherapy has been researched and accepted in the field of rehabilitation. The American Physical Therapy Association acknowledges the use of electro-therapy for:
1. Pain Management
2. Treatment of Neuromuscular Dysfunction
3. Improves Range of Joint Mobility
4. Tissue Repair
5. Acute and Chronic Edema
6. Peripheral Blood Flow
7. Iontophoresis
8. Urine and Fecal Incontinence
Electrotherapy is used for relaxation of muscle spasms, prevention and retardation of disuse atrophy, increase of local blood circulation, muscle rehabilitation and re-education, maintaining and increasing range of motion, management of chronic and intractable pain, post-traumatic acute pain, post surgical acute pain, immediate post-surgical stimulation of muscles to prevent venous thrombosis, wound healing and drug delivery.
MOST COMMON MODALITIES
TENS
Transcutaneous ElectricNerve Stimulator is primarily used for managing chronic pain. It utilizes biphasic electrical current delivered through electrodes placed on the surface of the skin to stimulate the sensory nerves to block pain signals and help the body's endorphin production. TENS can be worn all day or on an as needed basis.
Common Uses: Chronic and acute pain, back and cervical muscular and disc syndromes, RSD, arthritis, shoulder syndromes, and neuropathies.
IF
Interferential Current is primarily used for deep chronic pain. It uses very high pulse rate, usually 4001 - 4150 pulses per second. This higher frequency goes through the skin and muscle better than TENS or other modalities, thus can be more effective in pain control. Provides more analgesic, or nerve blocking effect.
Common Uses: Pre - and post- orthopedic surgery, joint injury syndrome, cumulative trauama disordes, inflammatory conditions and pain control of various origins.
MICROCURRENT
Microcurrent Electrical Nerve Stimulation (MENS) uses mirco-amperage current as opposed to millamperage current which is found primarily in TENS devices. Microamp current is 1/1000 of a milliamp current and is closer to our own body's natural healing current. MENS works more on a cellular level and aids in the healing process while relieving pain. It has been found that MENS can help increase levels of a chemical called ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which promotes protien synthesis and healing in tissue cells.
Common Uses: Chronic and acute pain, swelling, TMJ dysfunction, post-op care, sports injury, wound healing and arthiritis.
NMES
Neuromuscular Electrical Nerve Stimulation is uses primarily for preventing disuse atrophy. It is stronger than a TENS unit and has a wider pulse width to elicit muscle contraction for a period of time. More than just nerve stimulation, muscles are contracted and relaxed on and off to strengthen muscles, increase blood circulation to the area, and /or reduce edema.
Common Uses: Relaxation of muscle spasms, prevention of retardation of disuse atrophy, increase local blood circulation, muscle re-education, maintaining or increasing range of motion or joint mobility and preventing venous thrombosis.