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Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy in the
treatment of impairments of health and a conditions of abnormal
functioning. In medicine, the term electrotherapy can apply to a
variety of treatments, including the use of electrical devices
such as deep brain stimulators for neurological disease. The term
has also been applied specifically to the use of electrical
current to speed wound healing. Additionally, the term
"electrotherapy" has also been applied to a range of alternative
medical devices and treatments. Uses of Electrotherapy
The use of electrotherapy has been widely researched and the
advantages have been well accepted in the field of rehabilitation.
The American Physical Therapy Association acknowledges the use of
Electrotherapy for: |
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- Pain management Improve range of joint movement
- Treatment of neuromuscular dysfunction Improvement of
strength Improvement of motor control Retard muscle atrophy
Improve local blood flow
- Improve range of joint mobility Induce repeated stretching
of contracted, shortened soft tissues
- Tissue repair Enhance microcirculation and protein synthesis
to heal wounds Restore integrity of connective and dermal
tissues
- Acute and chronic edema Accelerate absorption rate Affect
blood vessel permeability Increase mobility of proteins, blood
cells and lymphatic flow
- Peripheral blood flow Induce arterial, venous and lymphatic
flow
- Iontophoresis Delivery of pharmacological agents
- Urine and fecal incontinence Affect pelvic floor musculature
to reduce pelvic pain and strengthen musculature Treatment may
lead to complete continence.
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.
Reputable medical and therapy Journals have published
peer-reviewed research articles that attest to the medical
properties of the various electro therapies. Yet some of the
treatment effectiveness mechanisms are little understood.
Therefore effectiveness and best practices for their use in some
instances are still anecdotal.
Electrotherapy devices have been studied in the treatment of
chronic wounds and pressure ulcers. A 1999 meta-analysis of
published trials found some evidence that electrotherapy could
speed the healing of such wounds, though it was unclear which
devices were most effective and which types of wounds were most
likely to benefit. However, a more detailed review by the Cochrane
Library found no evidence that electromagnetic therapy, a subset
of electrotherapy, was effective in healing pressure ulcers or
venous stasis ulcers. |
