Electrotherapy includes a range of treatments using electricity to reduce pain, improve circulation, repair tissues, strengthen muscles, and promote bone growth, leading to improvements in physical functioning.
Electrotherapy has been used to address chronic pain and chronic fatigue in general, as well as:
- Diabetic nerve pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Migraine headaches
- Wound healing
- Stimulating bone growth
It may help increase local blood circulation. It can also help build strength in muscles, tendons, and ligaments – especially following injury. Increased Range of Motion - Electrotherapy is often used to help relieve pain and aid in the treatment of muscle injuries such as strains, sprains, spasms, tears and bruises.
The use of electrotherapy has been supported by the American Physical Therapy Association because it has shown to provide the following:
- Relaxation of muscle spasms
- Prevention and cessation of muscular atrophy due to disuse
- Improved local blood circulation and flow
- Re-education of muscles using targeted stimulation
- Preserve and improve range of motion
- Management and reduction of pain (chronic, post-traumatic, and post-surgical acute)
- Prevention of deep vein thrombosis post-surgery
- Facilitation of wound healing
- Improvement in the effectiveness in delivering prescription drugs-electromotive drug administration (EMDA)