Contents
1. Basic Concepts and Pain..........................................................................1
Basic Concepts of Electricity 1
• Production of Electrical Charges 2
• Characteristics of Charged Body 3
• Characteristics of Lines of Forces 4
• Potential Difference 5
• Current Electricity 5
• Resistance in Series and Parallel 6
• Fuse 7
• Ohm’s Law 8
• Electrical Shocks 8
• Electrical and Chemical Burns 11
• Condensers 13
• Magnetism 15
• Electromagnetic Induction 16
• Electromagnetic Spectrum 17
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) 18
• Valves and Transformers 19
• Ionization 21
Pain 23
• Historical Aspects Pertaining to Pain 23
• Pain Perception 27
• Pain Pathway 28
• Pain Measurement 29
• Management of Pain 31
2. What is Electrotherapy?........................................................................ 35
• Definition and Areas of Study 35
• Low-Frequency Currents 37
• Medium-Frequency Currents 39
High-Frequency Currents 41
• Phototherapy 42
• Electrodiagnosis 43
• Biofeedback 45
• Classification of Currents 46
• Active and Passive Modalities 51
• Approaches to Electrotherapy 52
3. History of Electrotherapy..................................................................... 55
• Muscle-Nerve Stimulation 56
• Iontophoresis 57
• High-Frequency Currents 58
• Phototherapy 59
• Medical Use of Electricity 59
4. Muscle and Nerve Stimulating Currents....................................... 65
• Direct Current 65
• Faradic Current 80
• Interrupted Direct Current 91
• Physiotherapy for Peripheral Nerve Injuries 100
• Classification of Nerve Injuries 101
• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation 102
• Interferential Current 110
• Russian Current 117
• Sinusoidal Current 119
• High Voltage Pulsed Galvanic Current 120
• Micro Amperage Electrical Nerve Stimulation 121
• Diadynamic Current 122
• Procedure Outline for Low Frequency Current (LFC) and
Medium Frequency Current (MFC) Application 123
5. Diagnostic Electrotherapy.................................................................125
• Electrodiagnosis 125
• Rheobase and Chronaxie 126
• Strength-Duration Curves 127
• Pulse Ratio 134
• Faradic Interrupted Direct Current (IDC) Test 134
• Nerve Conductivity Test 135
• Nerve Distribution Test 135
• Neurotization Time 136
• Galvanic-Tetanus Ratio 137
• Dermo Ohmometry 138
• Polar Formula 139
• Myotonic Reaction 140
• Reaction of Degeneration 140
• Electromyography 141
• Motor Unit Potentials 145
• Electrophysiological Tests with Electromyography 151
6. Thermotherapy.......................................................................................170
• Short-Wave Diathermy 170
• Microwave Diathermy 181
• Long-Wave Diathermy 185
• Oudin Current 191
• Paraffin Wax Bath Therapy 192
• Hot Packs 195
• Electrical Heating Pads 199
• Procedure Outline for High-Frequency Current
Application 200
7. Therapeutic Ultrasound .................................................................... 202
Ultrasound as a Therapeutic Modality 202
• Pulsed Ultrasound 211
• Phonophoresis 212
• Combination Therapy 214
• Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) 215
8. Cryotherapy ............................................................................................ 218
Cryotherapy (Hypothermy) 218
9. Phototherapy ......................................................................................... 227
• History 227
• Therapeutic Laser 229
Infrared Rays 239
• Ultraviolet Rays 247
• Puva and Ionozone Therapy 254
10. Safety Precautions in Electrotherapy ......................................... 258
• Importance of Safety Precautions 258
• Causes and Types of Hazards 259
• Safety Precautions to be Followed 262
11. Clinical Decision-making in Electrotherapy ............................ 268
• What is Clinical Decision-making? 268
• Suggestions for Clinical Decision-making 271
12. Biofeedback............................................................................................. 275
• Biofeedback as a Clinical Tool 275
• Types of Biofeedback 277
• Treatment Duration 296
• Advantages and Disadvantages 297
Glossary.................................................................................................................. 301
Suggested Reading ............................................................................................. 305
Index........................................................................................................................ 313