The human body is delicate and the idea of using electricity on your body may sound painful. Electric stimulation is not as scary as it sounds. It is a treatment that uses the body’s natural painkillers to soothe the pain.
The treatment is a type of physical therapy that helps you move your muscles with ease. Thus, your chiropractor may use this therapy to help you recover and make you stronger.
Electric Stimulation Treatment
Electrotherapy is a healing practice that treats a wide variety of conditions. Some of these include arthritis, lower back pain, joint pains, nerve inflammation, and post-surgery pain. It also treats bursitis, spinal cord injury, tendonitis, and poor muscle control.
Electrotherapy also helps to prevent muscle decay. It also improves blood flow and reduces swelling especially after experiencing a stroke. Further, during electro-stimulation, the patient does nothing, or very little when getting treated. The treatment may last for five to fifteen minutes depending on the condition you have.
How Does Electric Stimulation Work?
The procedure places a couple of small electric pads on your skin that pump electric current through your muscle tissues. Then, the electric current triggers mild muscle movements that may drown out or stop the pain. The pain stops when the impulses created by the electric current release endorphins that cause pain to go away naturally.
During the process, you can expect to feel mild tingly vibrations. You can also feel repeated muscle twitches depending on the type of electrotherapy. The electric pads which therapists use are small and sticky, and they come off with mild uneasiness at the end of the therapy session. Further, your therapist only places the pads on the areas of your body that need therapy.
Types Of Electric Stimulation Treatment
There are different types of electric stimulation used for different tasks. The terms usually used for electrotherapy include the following:
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). This physical therapy treatment stops pain using a low-voltage electric current. In that way, TENS reduces pain when applied over painful areas.
Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES). A therapist uses electric impulses to eliminate pain and activate weak or paralyzed muscles.
Iontophoresis. The treatment involves using electric impulses to push medication through your skin into the body.
High Voltage Galvanic Current (HVGC). This form of therapy uses high-voltage and low-frequency electric current. It gets deep into the muscles to relieve pain. It also helps to boost blood circulation and joint movement.
Interferential Current (IFC). This treatment uses two low-frequency electric signals deep inside the skin to ease acute and chronic pain.
Russian Stimulation: a type of electrotherapy that uses a different waveform to move muscle tissues. This treatment may be a little more comfortable for you to put up with.
Side Effects
The most common side effects of electric stimulation are muscle tears and skin irritation. The sticky substances used in the electrodes or by electric stimulations trigger the reactions. Likewise, using electrotherapy frequently may cause a tissue burn. This can happen when a therapist uses too much electricity.
If you are experiencing muscle pain and limited muscle flexibility, please visit our Charleston Chiropractic Associates offices in Charleston, South Carolina, and talk to Dr. Nicklaus Barnes. You can also call us at (843) 225-4357 today to book an appointment or get more information.
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