Alternative medicine is gaining popularity and it's often used as an alternative to standard medical techniques. In addition to the conventional medical practices, there are other therapies and treatments like traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, yoga, Ayurveda and others. Another alternative practice is represented by electro-stimulation therapy, a non-surgical method through which you can achieve good results in a relative short amount of time.
Electrotherapy is a kind of therapy that uses electric current to stimulate tissues in order to cure various illnesses or to recover some lost functions of the body. It has been proven that bones, cartilages, ligaments, tendons and other body cells are influenced in a positive way through electricity.
Electrotherapy represents a modern therapy that has been used starting with the end of the 19th century in order to treat various health problems. The location of the pain is associated with a specific body part and it was believed that electricity can operate certain transformations, accelerating the healing process.
Electrotherapy procedures may vary and are supposed to treat a wide range of illnesses: headaches, postoperative pain, cellulite, muscle stretching, hematoma, contusions, arthritis, chronic constipation and many more.
Electrotherapy procedures:
Neurostimulation: A buffer is placed on the problem area and an electric current is induced through the nerves of the skin. Treatment effect is the annihilation of pain.
Diadynamics: This treatment uses a special power to remove pain and improve circulation. It is used in treating bruises, degenerative diseases of the spine and joints. At the same time has an analgesic effect.
Interferential currents: Treatment with these currents is very effective for removing pain, especially regarding the neck or the back. Some pads connected to a device like a vacuum cleaner are positioned on the painful areas. This therapy has the effect of a micro-massage, removing pain and improving circulation of oxygen in tissues.
Galvanic baths: Treatment consists of combining water with an easy power. The patient sits in a bath at a temperature of 34 degrees Celsius, while an electric current passes through the body. Plating baths are used to treat degenerative and inflammatory arthritis and joint disease.
Ionization: These procedures have the effect of allowing drugs to enter the body through the galvanic current. Ionization is recommended if a patient suffers from arthritis or chronic diseases and inflammatory spine. Everyone can use this sort of therapy with a few exceptions: people who have metal rods inserted into their bodies or pregnant women that don't have their doctor's approval. Electro-stimulation based therapies are not recommended for people who suffer from epilepsy, different skin conditions, thyroid, and hypertension.
Electrotherapy doesn't have an age limit; it can be applied to people of all ages. The results depend however if the illness is chronic or not, they depend upon when was the illness discovered and when did the therapy began.
What is very important to note is that the application generally requires individual physiotherapy for the patient. Each patient will be closely examined to find the cause of his/her symptoms to determine if it is a functional or organic defect and to choose the correct therapeutic behavior. Prior examination is important for it helpful in choosing the most appropriate physiotherapy methods for the patient at that time.
Electrotherapy is practiced in the office, by a neurologist or by functional re-educators, or even in the hospital, in a rehabilitation service or a center against pain. It unfolds in a series of 5 to 15 sessions of 10 to 30 minutes each. This number may be renewed 3 times. Electrotherapy may result in some rare burns, especially in the case of those methods that use direct electric currents (ionic currents) and luminous radiations.
No comments:
Post a Comment