Electrotherapy

WHAT IS IT? 

Electrotherapy has been around for more than 100 years, and should not be confused with Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, which is a controversial electric shock treatment for psychiatric illness. Electrotherapy is a form of medical treatment which utilizes small electrical impulses from different sources to stimulate the muscles, improve muscle strength, and repair tissue.

The developer of Electrotherapy, Guillaime Duchenne, discovered that an alternating current was much more effective than a direct current at producing muscle contractions at a lower voltage. There are several different forms of electrotherapy, including TENS, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, laser therapy, ultrasound, and interferential therapy. TENS and interferential therapy manipulate the nerves to reduce feelings of pain while ultrasound speeds the healing process using sound waves.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

The benefits are Electrotherapy are wide-ranging: an accelerated healing process, improved circulation, increased muscle tone, leading to pain reduction, increased strength, and better movement. Electrotherapy benefits general injuries such as sprains where there is or has been swelling, injuries such as tennis elbow, and acute and chronic pain.

Some of the mechanisms by which Electrotherapy works are not yet entirely understood and proof for its effectiveness is somewhat anecdotal; however, the treatment is widely believed by physicians to be effective and beneficial to patients. Electrotherapy is offered by many physical therapists around the world and at specialized medical spas.