ELECTROTHERAPY
Electrotherapy : The use of electrical energy as a medical treatment.
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 electric current to speed wound healing.
The use of electrotherapy has been researched and accepted in the field of rehabilitation (electrical muscle stimulation).
The American Physical Therapy Association acknowledges the use of Electrotherapy for:
1) Pain Management
§ Improves Range of Joint Movement
2) Treatment of Neuromuscular Dysfunction
§ Improvement of Strength
§ Improvement of Motor Control
§ Retards Muscle Atrophy
§ Improves local Blood Flow
3) Improves Range of Joint Mobility
§ Induces repeated Stretching of shortened Soft Tissues
4) Tissue Repair
§ Enhances Microcirculation and Protein synthesis to Heal wounds
§ Restores Integrity of Connective and Dermal tissues
5) Acute and chronic Edema
§ Accelerates absorption rate
§ Affects blood vessel permeability
§ Increases mobility of proteins, blood cells and lymphatic flow
6) Peripheral blood flow
§ Induces arterial, venous and lymphatic flow
7) Iontophoresis
§ Delivery of Pharmacological Agents
8) Urine and Fecal Incontinence
§ Affects pelvic floor musculature to reduce pelvic pain and strengthen musculature
§ Treatment may lead to complete continence
RELATED TOPICS
Ø TENS
Ø TRACTION