"Exploring the Benefits of Electrotherapy: A Comprehensive Guide"

When you hear the term “electrotherapy” it may at worst bring to mind images of people with a mental health condition undergoing traumatic electroshock treatments to the brain, or Frankenstein’s monster being brought to life.

However, far from these Hollywood-induced nightmares, electrotherapy is a gentle and harmless treatment method used by physiotherapists to help repair soft body tissues and alleviate pain.

The essence of electrotherapy is directing small currents of electricity through a patient’s skin, and doing so either encourages muscles to heal or blocks the electrical neural signals that tell the brain to experience pain.

There are various forms of electrotherapy that can be used very effectively to treat acute or chronic pain or to stimulate nerves and muscles into healthier function. These include:

• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

• Therapeutic Ultrasound

• Interferential

• Electroacupuncture

• Shockwave Therapy

• Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS)

In these different forms, electrotherapy has a wide range of benefits, besides reducing pain and healing injuries. For instance, it’s non-invasive and drug-free, mostly painless, and produces minimal side effects. It can also be highly effective.

For these reasons, electrotherapy treatment is one of the most common methods physiotherapists use in daily practice.

How Does Electrotherapy Work?

Electrotherapy can be used to treat several complaints and conditions. These fall into the two main categories of tissue repair and pain relief.

Tissue repair conditions
Inducing electric currents in soft tissues can help increase local blood flow and stimulate muscles. After all, muscles move due to electronic signals from the brain and nervous system so that an external current can induce similar effects.

Health conditions of this kind that can be treated with electrotherapy include:

• Oedema (a watery fluid that collects in tissue)

• Muscle wastage or atrophy

• Limited range of motion

• Limited blood circulation

Musculoskeletal injuries such as:

• Tennis elbow

• Jumpers knee

• Carpal tunnel syndrome

• Plantar fasciitis (inflammation of the foot)

• Shoulder injuries

Pain Relief

 
As mentioned, applying electrical signals can block or slow down the “Pain Gate” neural transmissions to the brain from affected areas of the body. Electrotherapy has also been found to encourage the release of endorphins, the body’s painkilling hormones, which increases the overall effect. Examples of pain conditions physiotherapists can treat with electrotherapy include:

• Migraines

• Fibromyalgia

• Nerve pain

• Pain from musculoskeletal injuries

• Morning stiffness

• Arthritis

• Post-surgical pain

• Neck pain and stiffness

• Lower back pain

It’s important to note that electrotherapy treatment should not be done near the heart or in people with pacemakers or heart conditions, around the throat to avoid lowering blood pressure, on pregnant women around the fetus or some other conditions.

Electrotherapy treatment methods

 
As there are several types of physiotherapy electrotherapy treatments, there are also different methods by which to deliver it. However, the general principles are the same regardless.

1. Electrode pads

2. Electroacupuncture needles

3. Ultrasound

Electrode pads
Most often, electrode pads are attached to the skin around the affected area, and a battery-powered device is connected to run a mild current between them. Electrodes can be self-adhesive or affixed with surgical tape.

Electroacupuncture needles
In cases of electroacupuncture needles are inserted into the skin and these themselves are charged. With therapeutic ultrasound, a transducer is used with a gel instead of electrode pads.

Ultrasound
Ultrasound is also slightly different from other electrotherapy methods in that it transmits high-frequency sound waves into the body rather than electric signals. Sessions tend to last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or so. Each session depends on the severity of the injury or pain of the patient.

Electrotherapy can produce electrically induced heat as a relaxation method for muscles. Other therapeutic mechanisms involve increased lymphatic flow, greater mobility of proteins and blood cells, protein synthesis, management of incontinence through strengthening musculature around the pelvis, and re-education of muscle movement through electrical stimulation.

Risk factors
Certain conditions prevent or restrict the use of electrotherapy, as described above. However, for those who are able to undergo this type of physiotherapy treatment, there are generally very few side effects, and those that do occur are usually mild.

Here are a few issues to be aware of in more detail:

1. Skin irritation

2. Pain or discomfort

3. Cardiac arrhythmia

4. Foetal damage

Skin irritation
Often due to the tape or adhesive used to apply the electrodes rather than the treatment itself, some people have allergic reactions, redness or rashes after a session of electrotherapy. If you have particularly sensitive skin, let your physiotherapist know before starting a course. It is also not advisable to use electrotherapy methods on open wounds or recent burns or scars. The aim is to target the muscle or soft tissues beneath the skin, not the skin itself.

Pain or discomfort
Overusing electrotherapy can leave a burning sensation on the skin. A warming feeling or slight pain or discomfort can sometimes be felt during the regular application of the treatment. This is normal, but it is worth knowing that some methods or higher intensities can increase discomfort. However, higher levels of discomfort during the procedure are sometimes experienced to achieve longer-term relief from the pain being treated.

Cardiac arrhythmia
The heart functions like any other muscle – by fibers twitching with small, controlled electrical signals from the brain and nervous system. If a pacemaker is installed, this substitutes for that stable mechanism for keeping the heart pumping. However, introducing an external electrical wave through electrotherapy can interfere with this signaling and cause the heart to beat irregularly. That is why physiotherapists are specially trained to position electrodes properly, and you should always inform your therapist of any heart condition before treatment begins.

Fetal damage
Pregnant women are advised to avoid electrotherapy altogether if possible. Though fetal damage is generally a low risk since the electric waves are quite low-powered, there are other, less risky interventions that your physiotherapist can advise in place of electrotherapy.

Besides these risk factors, electrotherapy is generally considered very safe. In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves electrotherapy devices for safe use.

Conclusion

 
If you are looking for a trusted physiotherapist in London who will be able to advise you on a course of electrotherapy at a reasonable cost, contact Synergy Physiotherapy.

With years of experience, the physiotherapists in our Ealing practice will be able to give you more information in a detailed consultation and assess which form of electrotherapy will be most effective for your specific circumstances.

Call us on +91-9738751252 or send us an email synergyphysioclinic@gmail.com for more information.