The form of electrotherapy, known as electro-analgesia specifically deals with the use of electricity to supply relief from pain. The nerves carry the pain signals as electrical signals, and electrotherapy provides symptomatic relief by meddling with these electrical currents of the nerve fibers. There area unit various techniques for providing electro-analgesia and also the ones most typically employed in the treatment of pain related to peripheral pathology area unit peripheral nerve stimulation, body covering electrical nerve stimulation (PENS), and transdermal electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). The techniques which will be employed in pains related to neuropathies, like diabetic pathology, area unit Peripheral Nerve Stimulation, and TENS. Since the extent of the lesions within the nerve is clearly noted, the nerve in peripheral nerve stimulation is stirred proximal to the lesion to supply relief from the pain. Recent analysis conjointly indicates that trans dermal electrical nerve stimulation is additionally effective in painful diabetic pathology and is being progressively used as a result of its a non-invasive procedure that uses conducting gel pads placed directly over the skin.
Another subtype of electrotherapy, known as electrical muscle stimulation is widely used for varied indications. In pathology, it’s employed in rehabilitation if the peripheral pathology has caused the loss of motor performance, e.g. as in infectious polyneuritis. The unfit muscle area unit stirred electrically at regular intervals to forestall muscle atrophy whereas the nerve slowly heals. Electrical muscle stimulation throughout the recovery of nerve performance helps in quicker improvement of strength and muscle management.
Patients with involuntary pathology might have urinary and dirty incontinence. Electrotherapy is often tried as a therapeutic possibility in such patients. typically the treatment provides a minimum of some useful impact and will even cause complete continence. Electrotherapy may also speed up wound healing. this is often particularly necessary in diabetic patients, wherever poor wound healing could be a hard complication of the long-standing DM. though additional analysis remains required, the present analysis knowledge supports the efficaciousness of electrotherapy in wound healing. it’s postulated that electrotherapy exerts its useful effects on wound healing chiefly by enhancing the microcirculation and macromolecule synthesis within the space to that it’s applied.
Electrotherapy is related to few aspect effects and is extremely safe in most cases. However, it should cause critical complication in patients susceptible to developing internal organ arrhythmia and patients with electrical devices in their bodies, e.g. pacemakers and hearing aids
