Eelectrotherapy is a treatment of disease by means of electricity.
Medical therapy using electric currents. It has been used to help professional athletes and weekend warriors recover from strains, sprains, pain, and injuries. Today, that same sports medicine, branch of medicine concerned with physical fitness and with the treatment and prevention of injuries and other disorders related to sports. Knee, leg, back, and shoulder injuries; stiffness and pain in joints; tendinitis; approach is being offered to seniors.
Electrotherapy is effective for people of all ages. Generally speaking, seniors tend to respond to three types of electrotherapy used in long-term care long-term care (LTC),
the provision of medical, social, and personal care services on a recurring or continuing basis to persons with chronic physical or mental disorders. :electrical stimulation, ultrasound, and diathermy therapeutic measure used in medicine to generate heat in the body tissues. Electrodes and other instruments are used to transmit electric current to surface structures, thereby increasing the local blood (which involves generating localized heat in body tissues). It is one thing to get a football player back in the game, but it’s an entirely different achievement for a senior to regain the ability to walk or to feed, dress, and groom herself.
FDA, has approved 11 different electrical stimulation waveforms, which gives the clinician flexibility in treatment options. With this range of acceptable waveforms, the therapist can select the one best suited for the individual and the condition. The energy provided by electrical stimulation, ultrasound, and short-wave diathermy machines helps to reduce swelling and pain, and increases circulation, which stimulates the cells to heal damaged tissue.
Ultrasound and diathermy machines also have variables that allow the clinician to individualize treatment. For instance, the machines can be adjusted to provide the exact depth of energy penetration and thermal response required, depending on whether the tissue requires heating or not. But as flexible and effective as these machines are, clinicians must receive good training and ongoing support for modality use to reach their full potential.
As beneficial as electrotherapy interventions might be, each modality has its own unique set of limitations, which depends on each patient’s condition. There are some contraindications. For example, if someone has a pacemaker, the FDA states that diathermy or electrical stimulation cannot be used on that patient, but ultrasound is permissible (except in the area immediately around the pacemaker). If a patient has a metal implant, diathermy cannot be used directly over the implant, but the other two modalities are allowable.
Consider someone recovering from a stroke. Perhaps the patient has lost the ability to feed herself because arm function was compromised. Electrostimulation can weakened or deconditioned musculoskeletal group that had previously been trained for a particular activity–eg, pole vaulting, cross-country running, etc, which has been underutilized, or suffered prolonged disuse. muscle in a part of the body that is neurologically impaired. The functional goal is to improve mobility and function in the arm.
Electrical stimulation, ultrasound, and diathermy are also effective in facilitating wound healing Physiology The repair of a wound Steps Inflammation, repair and closure, remodeling, final healing; repair of incisions may be either simple–’clean’ wounds with little loss of tissue heal by ‘primary intention’, or ‘dirty’ wounds heal by and treating contractures
Contractures are the chronic loss of joint motion due to structural changes in non-bony tissue. These non-bony tissues include muscles, ligaments, and tendons. , both common and significant problems for nursing home residents. Electrical stimulation can also be used to help treat urinary incontinence.
For most conditions, positive changes are usually noticed within the first two or three treatments. However, for some more challenging problems, it may be a couple weeks before noticeable improvement is observed. A good clinician closely monitors the patient’s response, and if the desired change is not forthcoming, adjusts the plan of care accordingly.
Topic: body tissues, diathermy machines, electric currents, electrical stimulation, medicine branch, pain management treatment, personal care services, short wave diathermy, shoulder injuries, weekend warriors