Electrotherapy Treatments

Electrotherapy uses electrical currents to treat chronic pain or quicken the healing process. Such treatment has been used for over a hundred years. The term encompasses a variety of treatments, including TENS units, micro current therapy, neuromuscular electrostimulation, high voltage galvanic therapy and inferential stimulation, but all of these therapies use virtually the same idea to accomplish their goals.

History

• In 1855 Guillaume Duchenne introduced the idea of electrotherapy in contrast to the direct current method at that time. Direct currents (DC) successfully stimulated muscle contractions, but they irritated the skin and caused blisters at the site of the electrodes. In addition, the method required that each current be continually stopped and restarted throughout treatment. Duchenne's electrotherapy presented the idea of alternating the current, which not only produced better results than the DC method, but also did not irritate the skin or require stopping the current during administration.

Function

• Electrotherapy treats chronic pain by inducing blood flow, releasing endorphins, stimulating muscle contractions and relieving pain. The electrical stimulation forces the muscles to constantly contract and release, which also promotes blood flow in the affected regions. The current also blocks the body's pain signals from reaching the brain and triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural pain relievers, thereby effectively reducing the patient's pain.

Neuromuscular Electrostimulation

• Neuromuscular electrostimulation (NMES) or electromuscular stimulation (EMS) is most often used in physical therapy to rehabilitate muscles after an injury or a stroke. Electrodes are placed on the skin over the affected muscles, and a connecting device sends the electrical impulse to the electrodes. NMES stimulates the nerves in the injured muscles, prompting the nerves to communicate with the body and retrain the muscles to function properly once again.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation

• The most common electrotherapy treatment is transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Like the NMES therapy, TENS administers electrical currents into the body via electrodes placed on the skin. However, instead of stimulating the nerves in the muscles, TENS units block the pain signals that travel along the nerves to the brain. TENS units also trigger the body to release endorphins to further dull the pain.

Micro Current Therapy

• Micro current therapy attempts to mimic the body's electrical impulses through the nervous system. It applies subtle currents to the nerves to build upon the naturally occurring electrical impulses to alleviate pain. In other words, micro current therapy builds upon and strengthens the body's ongoing electrical impulses in order to further block the pain signals and enhance healing. Since it simply enhances the electrical activity already present in the body, the current used is so minuscule that most patients rarely feel it.

Inferential Stimulation

• Inferential therapy employs two separate electrical frequencies together to stimulate large motor nerves to increase the amount of blood flow and decrease the amount of fluid retention (swelling) surrounding an injury. The electrical frequencies also work to block the pain signals directly at the spinal cord level. Inferential stimulation is most often used for severe back pain, joint disease and degenerative neurological disorders.

High Voltage Galvanic

• High voltage galvanic (HVG) stimulation uses a direct current rather than alternating to change the blood flow to an injury. The devices apply the galvanic theory, the reaction of two oppositely charged ions. The positive charge decreases the fluid retention and reduces swelling, while the negative charge increases blood flow to stimulate healing. HVG is mostly used to heal wounds and relieve pain in carpel tunnel syndrome.