Electrotherapy improves physical function by reducing pain, improving circulation, repairing tissues, strengthening muscles, and encouraging bone growth.
What is electrotherapy?
Electrotherapy is essentially a process in which small electrical currents are directed through a patient’s skin. This either stimulates muscle recovery or blocks the electrical nerve signals that tell the brain to experience pain.
Various forms of electrotherapy can be used effectively to treat acute or chronic pain or to encourage nerves and muscles to function in a healthier way.
What are the applications of electrotherapy?
Hotpack (Hot Compress Pad): They are bags filled with silicon dioxide or similar substances. They can be used in the treatment of conditions such as arthritis, muscle spasms, back and neck pain, soft tissue injuries, and joint stiffness. Their effects are as follows:
- Increases regional circulation.
- Accelerate metabolism by expanding blood vessels.
- Increases muscle and tissue temperature.
- Reduces muscle spasms and increases joint mobility.
Paraffin Application: Paraffin therapy is a deep heating method that uses a mixture of wax and oil to prepare the hands and feet for electrotherapy. It helps increase circulation in the tissues and joints to reduce pain. It can be used in the treatment of conditions such as arthritis and post-fracture joint stiffness.
Its primary purpose is to increase blood flow and loosen tense tissues. This heating will increase healing and speed up recovery. The skin softens with sweating and becomes more suitable for a subsequent massage treatment.
Whirlpool Baths “Whirlpool” (Wp): Whirlpool is actually one of the oldest types of hydrotherapy and is used as a treatment to increase circulation in circulatory disorders, chronic edema, sprains and soft tissue injuries, stiff joint arthritis, polio (child paralysis) and paraplegia (spinal cord paralysis).
The therapy takes place in a large tub filled with warm or cold water. The patient is positioned so that the affected limb is placed in the water and then a motor is turned on to create a jet-like movement of water around the limb. The effects of the therapy are as follows:
- Reduces muscle spasm.
- Reduces joint pain.
- Provides expansion in veins.
- Has a circulation-increasing effect on the wound.
- Dissolves and cleans the wound tissue.
- Cleanses dead tissue with mechanical effect.
- It is supportive in muscle relaxation and pain relief.
Fluidotherapy: It is a treatment performed in a dry environment containing solid substances that are divided into very small particles without water, without irritating the skin and without the risk of thermal shock.
The method increases tactile stimulation and movement ability by providing superficial heating.
It can be used in painful conditions, in reducing hypersensitivity after amputation, in blood flow insufficiencies, in wound treatment, in reducing edema, in fractures, and in burns.
Infrared (IR): Infrared therapy is a method used in physiotherapy to transmit heat energy to deep tissues. This therapy works on the principle that infrared rays penetrate the tissues, increase blood circulation, reduce pain, provide muscle relaxation, and increase flexibility in collagen tissue. It is especially effective in the treatment of muscle pain, joint stiffness, and injuries.
It can be used in inflammatory conditions, traumatic conditions, psychiatric conditions, and all conditions where heating is required as a pre-treatment.
Ultraviolet (UVL): It is used to increase blood flow to the skin, eliminate bacteria, destroy tissues, form erythema, pigmentation, thicken the skin, shed dead skin, and increase skin elasticity. It can be used in the treatment of skin diseases, diseases related to vitamin D deficiency, tuberculosis, blood diseases, respiratory system diseases (bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia) and skeletal system diseases.
Cryotherapy: Cryotherapy or cold therapy is performed by applying cold to an injured or inflamed area of the body. Cryotherapy works on the principle of heat exchange. When cold is applied to the body, it causes the blood vessels to constrict, which reduces blood flow to the affected area. This decrease in blood flow helps to minimize swelling and inflammation. In addition, cold numbs the nerve endings, which relieves pain. It is effective in the following cases:
- Controlling inflammation after trauma
- Controlling pain in sports injuries
- Reducing fever and controlling bleeding
- Preventing secondary tissue damage in the acute phase by reducing metabolic rate
Short Wave Diadermy (SWD):A treatment that uses electromagnetic waves to target soft tissues and joints. It increases body temperature and improves tissue metabolism and function. It has various benefits such as reducing inflammation, joint pain and full retention. In addition, heat waves improve circulation and help muscle recovery.
It is used in osteoarthritis, ankle sprains, subdeltoid calcified bursitis, acute neck injury, chronic neck pain, low back pain, pressure pain, neck-lumbar trigger points, pelvic inflammation, soft tissue ligamentous lesions and temporamandibular joint diseases and all cases where deep heat is required.
Microwave Diadermi: These are electromagnetic waves between radio waves and infrared. It is effective in the treatment of inflammatory and degenerative joint diseases. The therapy relieves pain and increases blood flow. It is used in fibrositis, myofibrosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, periarthritis tendonitis, muscle and joint sprains and traumatic conditions; inflammatory conditions of the pelvis, sciatalgia and joint movement disorders.
Ultrasound:Ultrasound treatment is a method that deeply affects tissues with high-frequency sound waves. This treatment is especially preferred to reduce pain in muscles, tendons and ligaments, control inflammation and accelerate the healing process. Ultrasound increases blood circulation and supports cell renewal by transmitting heat energy to tissues. It also stands out as an effective treatment option in conditions such as injuries, joint stiffness and chronic pain.
It is used in soft tissue injuries, chronic inflammation (tendinitis, bursitis etc.), fractures, osteoarthritis, scar tissue, joint contracture, myofascial pain, decubitus ulcers, circulatory problems, muscle spasms and hernias (disc herniations).
Magnetotherapy (Magnetic Field Therapy): It is a treatment method that supports the healing process in the body by using magnetic fields in physiotherapy. This method is especially used to reduce pain, control inflammation and accelerate the healing of wounds.
Magnetic fields stimulate cell renewal and increase blood circulation, activating the body’s natural healing mechanisms. It increases respiratory volume by allowing the respiratory muscles to work better. It stands out as an effective treatment option for various conditions such as bone fractures, joint pain and chronic diseases.
Traction: It is a method used especially for spine and joint problems. This treatment reduces the pressure between the vertebrae and relieves nerve compression by applying a controlled pulling force on the joints. Traction is an effective option to reduce pain, increase mobility and support healing in cases such as back and neck pain, hernia and nerve root irritation (compression), muscle spasm, joint immobility, etc. The treatment can be applied manually or mechanically depending on the patient’s condition.
Electrostimulation (E-Stim): It is a treatment method used in physical therapy to reduce pain and inflammation, improve circulation and support proper muscle contraction. The technique is based on the principle of applying electrical currents by placing electrodes on specific areas of the body. Different types of electrostimulation are used to achieve various therapeutic goals:
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS): It is one of the common types of e-stim and works by altering or interrupting pain signals. Its main indications are low back pain, chronic painful conditions and post-surgical pain. It can be used in symptomatic treatments of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, migraine, craniofacial pain, brachiai plexus pain, temporomandibular pain, angina pectoris, central pain, neuropathic pain, phantom pain, causalgia, trigeminal neuralgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, soft tissue injuries, dysmenorrhea, myofascial pain syndrome.
- Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES): It helps relieve muscle weakness and supports muscle re-education by encouraging muscle contraction. Your physical therapist may use it to help your muscles contract properly after injury or surgery. NMES can also be used to help you perform functional tasks, increase circulation, maintain and increase joint range of motion, accelerate fracture healing, and preserve muscle strength, and accelerate wound healing.
- Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS): It is a method that supports strengthening and healing by stimulating muscles with electrical currents. This treatment is especially used in cases such as muscle weakness, limited movement, and pain. EMS increases blood circulation by allowing the muscles to be worked passively, prevents muscle atrophy (atrophy), and accelerates the healing process. It also stands out as an effective option in sports injuries, post-stroke rehabilitation, and chronic pain treatment.
- Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES): It is a method that aims to increase mobility by stimulating nerve and muscle functions with electrical currents. This treatment is especially used in cases such as paralysis, spinal cord injuries, or nerve damage. FES enables the muscles to become active again, improving walking, hand functions, and daily activities. It also prevents muscle atrophy and helps patients gain independence.
Sources:
- Mayo Clinic
- WebMD
- Cleveland Clinic
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)