Electrotherapy

Electrotherapy

Electrotherapy is a popular modality used in physiotherapy. Electrotherapy (also known as electrical muscle stimulation or e-stim) uses an electrical machine that delivers electrical impulses to a patient’s body. This stimulation is done in order to promote and facilitate muscle healing and tissue regeneration. Not only is electrotherapy a popular modality in physical therapy, but can also be used by other rehabilitation practitioners because it has several numerous therapeutic benefits. 

The use of electrotherapy has shown to provide the following:

• Relaxation of muscle spasms
• Prevention and cessation of muscular atrophy due to disuse
• Improved local blood circulation and flow
• Re-education of muscles using targeted stimulation
• Preserve and improve range of motion
• Management and reduction of pain (chronic, post-traumatic, and post-surgical acute)
• Prevention of deep vein thrombosis post-surgery
• Facilitation of wound healing

Electrotherapeutic devices can offer different therapeutic waveforms. An electrical stimulation device includes electrodes that are attached to the treatment area and when activated, the electrical energy of the device causes the muscles to contract. This contraction imitates the body’s natural movement during activity and can prevent muscular atrophy.