Electrotherapy

Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy in the treatment of impairments of health and a conditions of abnormal functioning. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, "The IEEE standard dictionary of electrical and electronics terms". 6th ed. New York, N.Y., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, c1997. IEEE Std 100-1996. ISBN 1-55937-833-6 [ed. Standards Coordinating Committee 10, Terms and Definitions; Jane Radatz, (chair)] In medicine, the term electrotherapy can apply to a variety of treatments, including the use of direct current in cardioversion and the use of electrical devices such as deep brain stimulators for neurological disease. The term has also been applied specifically to the use of electrical current to speed wound healing. Additionally, the term "electrotherapy" has also been applied to a range of alternative medical devices and treatments.

History

In 1855 Guillaume DuChenne, the father of electrotherapy, announced that AC was superior to DC for electrotherapy involving the triggering of muscle contractions.Licht, Sidney Herman., "History of Electrotherapy", in Therapeutic Electricity and Ultraviolet Radiation, 2nd ed., ed. Sidney Licht, New Haven: E. Licht, 1967, Pp. 1-70. DuChenne\'s choice was motivated by the attempt to avoid what he called the \'warming affect\' of DC that irritated the skin. Amperage, at voltage strengths needed for muscle contractions, causes the skin to blister and pit, with blistering at the anode and pitting at the cathode. Furthermore, with DC the muscle would contract upon initiation of current flow, and then relax, with each new contraction requiring the current to be stopped and restarted. With AC there was no warming affect, and the current could be allowed to run on, producing strong muscle contractions, regardless of the condition of the muscle, that contrasted with those produced by the amperage of DC. DC-induced contractions were strong if the muscle was strong, and weak if the muscle was weak. Since that time almost all rehabilitation involving muscle contraction has been done with a symmetrically biphasic wave form.

In the 1940s, however, the US War Department, in the interests of investigating the application of electrical stimulation to not just retard and prevent atrophy, but to restore muscle mass and strength, employed what was termed galvanic exercise, on the atrophied hands of those who had had an ulnar nerve lesion from a wound repaired surgically.Licht, "History of Electrotherapy" Galvanic exercise employed a monophasic wave form, i.e., the passage of amperes - electrochemistry. The clinical findings reported favorably upon galvanic exercise to accomplish these very things, with those in the group receiving galvanic exercise and physical therapy recovering far faster than those in the control group that just engaged in physical therapy. These findings suggested that electrochemical therapy (ECT or EChT) was an important subset of electrotherapy.

Current use

Electrotherapy devices have been studied in the treatment of chronic wounds and pressure ulcers. A 1999 meta-analysis of published trials found some evidence that electrotherapy could speed the healing of such wounds, though it was unclear which devices were most effective and which types of wounds were most likely to benefit.Gardner SE, Frantz RA, Schmidt FL (1999). "Effect of electrical stimulation on chronic wound healing: a meta-analysis". Wound Repair Regen 7 (6): 495–503. PMID 10633009.  However, a more detailed review by the Cochrane Library found no evidence that electromagnetic therapy, a subset of electrotherapy, was effective in healing pressure ulcersOlyaee Manesh A, Flemming K, Cullum NA, Ravaghi H (2006). "Electromagnetic therapy for treating pressure ulcers". Cochrane Database Syst Rev (2): CD002930. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002930.pub3. PMID 16625564.  or venous stasis ulcers.Ravaghi H, Flemming K, Cullum N, Olyaee Manesh A (2006). "Electromagnetic therapy for treating venous leg ulcers". Cochrane Database Syst Rev (2): CD002933. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002933.pub3. PMID 16625565. 

See also

• Neuromuscular diagnostics
• Galvanic bath
• Frequency Specific Microcurrent

References and notes

External links and articles

Further readings

• Nelson, Roger M.; Currier, Dean P.; "Clinical Electrotherapy"; 2nd ed., ISBN 0-8385-1334-4; 422 p. Appleton & Lange, a publishing division of Prentice Hall, c1991 c1987; 3rd ed., ISBN 083851491X;
• Watkins, Arthur Lancaster, "A manual of electrotherapy.". 2d ed., thoroughly rev. Philadelphia : Lea & Febiger, c1962. 272 p.
• Scott, Bryan O., "The principles and practice of electrotherapy and actinotherapy". Springfield, Ill., C.C. Thomas, c1959. 314 p. LCCN 60004533 /L
• Neuroelectric Conference (1969 : San Francisco, Calif.), " Neuroelectric research; electroneuroprosthesis, electroanesthesia and nonconvulsive electrotherapy". Editor, David V. Reynolds and Anita E. Sjoberg. Springfield, Ill., Thomas, 1971. LCCN 75115389 (ed. Selected papers presented at the 1969 Neuroelectric Conference, the second annual conference of the Neuroelectric Society.)

Websites

• Electrotherapy on the Web Tim Watson\'s website on electrotherapy, containing in-depth discussion and dose calculations.
• The Turn of The Century Electrotherapy Museum

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