Electrical stimulation (e-stim) has been used as a rehabilitation tool since Socrates circa 400BC applied fish that could produce an electric shock to stiff joints in an attempt to loosen them up.
Thankfully electrical stimulation (e-stim) has come a long way since then. Currently electrotherapy is prescribed in 2 main ways:
· Firstly, Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) which directs an electrical current into a muscle body to entice a contraction and is employed mostly with muscle tone rehabilitation.
· Secondly, and most importantly for chronic pain sufferer’s is Electroanalgesia such as Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and Inferential Stimulation Therapy (IST) treatments. The support for these techniques is growing, based around positive results in clinical trials and anecdotal evidence pointing to their ability to mitigate pain symptoms.
This blog will concentrate on electroanalgesia and its effects on chronic pain that is produce from a non-musculoskeletal source. Unfortunately the genesis of some chronic pain can be varied, complicated or even unknown, but the debilitating effects of chronic pain have been identified and as such highlights the importance of analgesia treatement. We will uncover the theories behind e-stim and its proposed cessation of pain, by exploring the proposed gate theory and opiate mediated control mechanisms. We will also navigate through some of the latest findings and articulate the clinical research that will assist you to make an informed judgement on whether e-stim is indeed an option for you.
The safe use of any e-stim is paramount. All the necessary precautions and contraindications of using e-stim will be addressed in this blog. Understanding these treatment precautions will ensure optimal safety and effect, providing guidelines to use both within a clinical and home environment.Examples of quadpolar interferential therapy and suction cupping
Images on this page all sited form www.google.com/images
Good start peoples. I want you to make an overt distinction between your topic (chronic pain without a clear musculoskeletal source e.g. fibromyalgia) and the the other topic which is chronic pain from a clear msk source e.g. OA knee). Also, a more obvious link between your warning and those images would be good. WE know that you have been told that there are more risks involved with the application of medium frequency currents to the skin over the dorsal sympathetic nerve trunks than occurs with low frequency currents - but other readers may not. Always either provide captions and/or a direct reference to the image from within your text. thanks CY
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