Electricity, children learn early, is dangerous. Because accidents with electric current can cause heart rhythm disturbances: Muscles, including the heart, contract. Less or no blood and thus too little oxygen is transported in the body. This condition can lead to death after a few minutes. Electrotherapy, on the other hand, is very gentle: Muscle contractions are specifically induced by passing electricity through the body via electrodes that are stuck to the skin. In this way, electrotherapy, also called stimulation current therapy, is used to treat pain, discomfort, as well as to strengthen weak muscles.
TENS stimulation current therapy
For more than 30 years, doctors and physical therapists have used transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). A weak alternating current with a low frequency (measured in Hertz/hz), it is used primarily to treat pain and stimulate muscles. The frequency is 10 to 100 Hz. The electrodes are placed near the painful areas. The stimulus itself is not painful – you may feel a tingling sensation on the skin. Sometimes the electrodes are placed in the area of the spine from which the affected nerve exits. These areas of skin are then stimulated with high frequencies and low currents, causing non-painful sensations of discomfort. Thus, a counter stimulus is created and the pain improves. Basically, stimulation current therapy serves to strengthen the muscles. For successful treatment, daily treatment of 30 minutes over a period of at least six weeks is advised.
Principle counterirritation
As in acupuncture, the principle of stimulation current therapy is called counter-irritation: the actual pain stimulus is to be reduced with the help of a local touch or vibration stimulus. Very often patients report an improvement in many chronic pain diseases. These include muscular rheumatism, neuralgias such as sciatic pain, osteoarthritis, and even paralysis are reduced by the stimuli. Electrotherapy is also indicated for muscle weakness and lack of muscle sensation, lack of blood flow due to circulatory disorders, bone conditions resulting from accidental damage, and arterial occlusive disease. Venous inflammation, decubitus ulcers, delayed wound healing, osteoporosis, and delayed bone healing are other uses of electrotherapy.
Electricity and water: the Stangerbad
Electricity and water – actually a dangerous combination. But it can also be healing. At the beginning of the 20th century, the master tanner Johann Jakob Stanger from Ulm developed a so-called hydroelectric bath, which is used today primarily for chronic rheumatism of the joints, neuralgia and Bechterew’s disease (an inflammatory chronic disease mostly of the spine). The direct current flowing through the body provides muscle relaxation and stimulates muscle and nerve activity. The patient sits in a tub, and large, plate-shaped electrodes are embedded in the side walls: two each on the left and right, and one each for the head and feet. This arrangement allows the current to flow through the body in different directions as desired – very gently. The circuit depends on the indications. For example, in the case of rheumatic diseases, a descending current direction is selected, i.e. a current direction that runs from top to bottom in the body. This is intended to reduce the excitability of the nerves and muscle tension. In the case of paralysis, on the other hand, ascending currents are used to stimulate muscle and nerve activity. Due to the use of direct current and the very high safety standards, the Stangerbad is completely safe. However, this therapy is not suitable for cardiovascular diseases and the lungs. Within electrotherapy, the Stangerbad belongs to direct current therapy, also called galvanization. Galvanization is basically used to relieve pain and promote blood circulation.
Ultrasound
Improved blood circulation, pain relief and increased metabolism are the effects of ultrasound. This application is also considered electrotherapy in the broadest sense. Ultrasound is also referred to as microvibration massage: Electricity, converted into high-frequency mechanical oscillations of about 1 Mhz (vibrations), which the patient does not feel, is applied to the diseased region via a transducer with a contact gel, moving in a circular motion.This application can also be used in a partial tub or container under water, for example on the feet and hands. The sound is emitted continuously or pulsed. With pulsed sound, there is less heat effect.
Shortwave therapy
Finally, electrotherapy also includes treatment with short waves (diathermy). It works with waves in the high-frequency range. This electromagnetic energy generates heat. Through targeted heating to 40 to 41 degrees Celsius, the blood supply in the tissue increases and the healing effect begins. With suitable devices, the Ärztezeitung reports, even deep tissue can be reached if the power of the devices is high enough and the electrodes can be placed one to two centimeters away from the part of the body that is to be heated. Shortwave therapy has shown good results especially for rheumatic diseases, but also for diseases of the musculoskeletal system, muscles and skin, as well as for certain forms of turmor formation. Patients with muscle and soft tissue pain, such as tension, can also benefit from shortwave therapy. The duration of application ranges from six to twelve ten- to 15-minute treatments with varying heat dosages.
Application at home possible
While ultrasound, short-wave therapy and rod bath are offered by physiotherapists or in spa clinics, TENS can also be used well at home. The electrotherapy device is about the size of a pack of cigarettes, is powered by a battery, and the electrodes used are only a few square centimeters in size. Before using it, the doctor explains how high the current should be, how often and where to use it. One sticks the electrodes directly over the painful area or on the areas indicated by the doctor. Then you choose the intensity of the current so that only a slight pleasant tingling sensation is felt. Three to four treatments per day for half an hour each are usually sufficient. After a few weeks, the effect may diminish, then one should take a break or use the electrodes in other places. Electrotherapy treatments prescribed by a doctor are considered remedies and are paid for by health insurance. The device is rented, usually you send it back to the manufacturer after the treatment. The electrical stimulation is almost always very well tolerated and almost free of side effects. Only patients with pacemakers or larger metal implants should be cautious. In individual cases, skin irritations, epilepsies, aversions to electricity, and psychologically induced pain syndromes may argue against the use of TENS.