Electric stimulation therapy is a therapeutic treatment that applies electrical stimulation in treating muscle spasms and pain . It can help prevent atrophy and build strength in patients with injuries. It is also helpful in keeping muscles active especially after any type spinal cord injury or strokes.
What are the 3 main reasons we use electrical stimulation?
Electrical stimulation is a type of therapeutic treatment that can serve many different purposes in physical therapy. It can be used to decrease pain and inflammation, improve circulation ,1 and it can help your muscles contract properly.
What are the benefits of electrical stimulation?
- Stimulating muscular blood flow.
- Increasing strength.
- Reducing muscle pain.
- Improving psychological recovery.
What is electrical stimulation pain therapy?
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy involves the use of low-voltage electric currents to treat pain . A small device delivers the current at or near nerves. TENS therapy blocks or changes your perception of pain.
What does electrotherapy do for muscles?
These mild electrical currents target either muscles or nerves. E-stim therapy for muscle recovery sends signals to targeted muscles to make them contract . (Flexing your biceps is a form of muscle contraction.) By causing repeated muscle contractions, blood flow improves, helping repair injured muscles.
How do you explain electrical stimulation to patients?
Electric stimulation works by mimicking the natural way by which the body exercises its muscles . The electrodes attached to the skin deliver impulses that make the muscles contract. It is beneficial in increasing the patient’s range of motion and improves the circulation of the body.
What are the side effects of electrical stimulation?
The most common side effect with electrotherapy is skin irritation or rash , caused by the adhesives in the electrodes or the tape holding the electrodes in place. Overusing electrotherapy may cause a burning feeling in the skin. Directions about the duration of therapy should be followed closely to avoid a problem.
Can electrical stimulation cause nerve damage?
Generally, greater intensity, higher frequency, and longer pulse width stimulation lead to more severe damage in nerve cells (McCreery et al., 2004). In addition, although short-term electrical stimulation is not damaging to nervous tissue, chronic electrical stimulation can damage nerve structure.
Is electrical stimulation safe?
What is electrical stimulation? While it may sound a bit intimidating, electrical stimulation really isn’t at all! When used correctly and provided under the guidance of a licensed and skilled therapist, electrical stimulation is a safe and efficacious modality that can be used to treat a variety of conditions.
Does electrical stimulation relax muscles?
Electric muscle stimulation can relax back muscles , easing tightness and soreness in the lower back area. Sciatica symptoms, for example, can be caused by back muscles in spasm. Stopping the spasm may relieve the pressure on the sciatic nerve.
Is it safe to use a TENS unit at home?
It is safe for most people to use a TENS unit , and they will not usually experience any side effects. However, the electrical impulses that a TENS unit produces may cause a buzzing, tingling, or prickling sensation, which some people may find uncomfortable. Some people may be allergic to the adhesive pads.
Can a TENS unit hurt you?
Does TENS hurt? No, it should not hurt . Make sure you are setting it at a strong but comfortable intensity.
Is electrical stimulation painful?
The application of electrical impulses may feel a bit uncomfortable, but it should never hurt . If you feel pain during electrical stimulation, tell your physical therapist. They will adjust the treatment or stop using it.
How long should you do electrotherapy?
You can begin with one 15-minute therapy session . Repeat for another 15 minutes if needed. Use up to three times per day at a maximum. During each therapy, rate your pain before and after the session, 1 (low) to 10 (high) in order to gauge the true reduction of pain.
How much does electrotherapy cost?
Electrotherapy devices range in cost from less than $30 to hundreds of dollars . Several of the newer products are available over the counter, offering flexibility for those who can afford them.
Does electrotherapy help pinched nerve?
Think of it as acupuncture with electrical stimulation. The advantage of using needles instead of pads means the currents pulse closer to the pinched nerves and muscles. This can provide almost immediate pain relief for some patients.
What is the meaning of electrical stimulation?
Definition. Electrical stimulation (e-stim) is the use of a device to send gentle electrical pulses through the skin . Two common devices are: Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) to help repair muscles.
Is electrical stimulation good for arthritis?
TENS units, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation therapy, can help to control arthritis pain without the use of additional drugs as well as reduce the amount of medication and related side-effects. If your arthritic pain is confined to a single region, a TENS unit may help reduce your pain.
Can a TENS unit relax muscles?
The electrical impulses can reduce the pain signals going to the spinal cord and brain, which may help relieve pain and relax muscles. They may also stimulate the production of endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers.
Does electrical stimulation help knee pain?
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation is often part of physical therapy for knee injuries. It’s a specialty treatment that helps to increase muscle force, reduce knee pain , and improve function. Beyond injuries, this treatment is also helpful for arthritis, as it can help with swelling and inflammation.
Is EMS bad for your heart?
In healthy subjects, WB-EMS does not seem to affect blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen uptake . The lists of exclusion criteria are, in part, contradictory between different studies, especially regarding malignancy and heart failure. Risk factors for rhabdomyolysis are not mentioned as contraindications for WB-EMS.
What does electrotherapy feel like?
What Does Treatment Feel Like? As the intensity increases, the patient will feel a tingling sensation on the skin , or the sensation will be reminiscent of a deep massage if the device is being used to penetrate and treat the muscles. All of this is normal.
Is EMS and TENS the same?
The main difference
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) machines stimulate the nerves exclusively for the purpose of relieving pain, whereas Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) machines are designed to stimulate the muscles for the purposes of strengthening and rehabilitating them.
Can a TENS unit reduce belly fat?
Surprisingly, without modifying their exercise or diet, the EMS did indeed cause significant effects on decreasing waist circumference, abdominal obesity, subcutaneous fat mass, and body fat percentage, leading the researchers to conclude: “The use of the high-frequency current therapy may be beneficial for reducing ...
How can I speed up nerve healing?
Electrical stimulation a week before surgery causes nerves to regenerate three to five times faster , leading to better outcomes. Summary: Researchers have found a treatment that increases the speed of nerve regeneration by three to five times, leading to much better outcomes for trauma surgery patients.
Does electrical stimulation strengthen muscles?
Studies in experimental models as well as in human subjects confirmed that EMS can increase muscle mass by around 1% and improve muscle function by around 10–15% after 5–6 weeks of treatment.
Why do chiropractors use electrical stimulation?
Chiropractors use electrodes to aim the electrical pulses at particular areas of the nervous system to block the transmission of pain signals being sent toward the spine and brain . The stimulation also works to boost the body’s production of endorphins which are natural pain relievers.
Is shockwave therapy the same as tens?
While TENS therapy and ESWT therapy (extracorporeal shock wave therapy) might seem similar, since they both use electrical currents, the two procedures are different in several ways.
Do TENS machines help back pain?
You might have been recommended a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) mechine as part of your treatment for back pain . This helpful medical device won’t ‘cure’ your symptoms but it can provide short-term pain relief and it’s a useful alternative or addition to pain medication.
Does electrical stimulation burn calories?
With electrical stimulation training, you’ll have more toned and stronger muscles. This burns more calories . The more the muscle mass, the more basal calories burnt (basal calories are what is needed daily to stay alive). You also burn the necessary calories to do the exercise and do your daily activities.
How long should you use a TENS unit?
You can safely use a TENS machine as often as you like. Usually for 30-60 minutes up to 4 times daily . TENS can provide relief for up to four hours.
Can I shower after TENS?
Don’t use TENS when driving , using machinery, sleeping, or in the bath/shower. Your skin may become slightly red and itchy when you remove the electrodes, but this should disappear quickly. It’s important to monitor your skin regularly after using TENS, to ensure it remains healthy.
Does a TENS unit help with inflammation?
Thankfully the TENS unit can help with Inflammation as well . Numerous studies have discovered that the electric impulses can reduce inflammation located deep within the muscle fibers.
Can TENS cause nerve damage?
Can a TENS unit cause nerve damage? TENS unit is not known to cause any nerve damage . A backfire in the TENS unit might provoke an overreaction in the nerve causing some pain or discomfort, but the nerve itself is unlikely to be damaged.
Can I sleep with a TENS unit on?
Do not use a TENS unit with heating pads or cold packs. Do not use TENS while sleeping .
Do TENS units help with nerve pain?
Studies show that TENS can help relieve pain from diabetic nerve damage , most commonly in the hands and feet. Spinal cord injury pain. At least three studies on TENS and spinal cord injury pain have shown improvements in this kind of pain, which is hard to treat.
Does electrotherapy help sciatica?
The answer is yes . TENS can relieve sciatica pain—even the radiating, and sometimes debilitating shooting pains that patients often experience.
What happens if you overuse a TENS unit?
Can a TENS unit damage the nerves? Short-term electrical stimulation is not damaging. But chronic electrical stimulation can damage the structure of the nerves . For stimulation longer than 30 minutes, remember to pause for at least 20 minutes to prevent skin irritation.
