Electrotherapy is used by physiotherapists to provide pain relief and promote healing for problems of the bone and/or muscle. The main methods of electrotherapy used at the Best Physiocare Physiotherapy Clinic to complement our manual approach are as follows:
Ultrasound
These high-frequency sound waves are used to treat injuries to muscles, tendons, and soft tissues. The sound waves pass through the skin causing the tissues in the affected area to vibrate. This helps to improve blood flow to the injured site and increase the breakdown of scar tissue, helping to decrease pain and encourage the healing process.
TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)
This is a very safe method of electrotherapy which we use in the clinic and loan for home. It provides pain relief by blocking nerve signals carrying pain messages to the brain. TENS also stimulates the production of endorphins – our natural pain-relieving hormones.
Interferential Therapy
This involves the passing of two currents through the tissues. Where the currents intersect, a new current is set up. These currents can activate the pain gate mechanism to help relieve pain or can work directly on nerve fibers causing endorphin release. If you are suffering from severe pain we may use this type of electrotherapy to be able to achieve the maximum benefits from our manual therapy. These currents can also cause muscle contraction which in turn will cause a local increase in fluid flow and exchange.
