Electrotherapy

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Electrotherapy
BTL-6000 super inductive system elite.jpg
SIS Super Inductive System electromagnetic therapy; used at a hospital in Budapest, Hungary
MeSH D004599

Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a medical treatment. [1] In medicine, the term electrotherapy can apply to a variety of treatments, including the use of electrical devices such as deep brain stimulators for neurological disease. The term has also been applied specifically to the use of electric current to speed wound healing. Additionally, the term "electrotherapy" or "electromagnetic therapy" has also been applied to a range of alternative medical devices and treatments.

Contents

Medical uses

Electrotherapy is primarily used in physical therapy for:

Some of the treatment effectiveness mechanisms are little understood, with effectiveness and best practices for their use still anecdotal.

Musculoskeletal conditions

In general, there is little evidence that electrotherapy is effective in the management of musculoskeletal conditions. [3] In particular, there is no evidence that electrotherapy is effective in the relief of pain arising from osteoarthritis, [4] and little to no evidence available to support electrotherapy for the management of fibromyalgia. [5]

Neck and back pain

A 2016 review found that, "in evidence of no effectiveness," clinicians should not offer electrotherapy for the treatment of neck pain or associated disorders. [6] Earlier reviews found that no conclusions could be drawn about the effectiveness of electrotherapy for neck pain, [7] and that electrotherapy has limited effect on neck pain as measured by clinical results. [8]

A 2015 review found that the evidence for electrotherapy in pregnancy-related lower back pain is "very limited". [9]

Shoulder disorders

A 2014 Cochrane review found insufficient evidence to determine whether electrotherapy was better than exercise at treating adhesive capsulitis. [10] As of 2004, there is insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about any intervention for rotator cuff pathology, including electrotherapy; [11] furthermore, methodological problems precluded drawing conclusions about the efficacy of any rehabilitation method for impingement syndrome. [12]

Other musculoskeletal disorders

There is limited, low quality evidence for a slight benefit of noxious-level electrotherapy in the treatment of epicondylitis. [13]

A 2012 review found that "Small, single studies showed that some electrotherapy modalities may be beneficial" in rehabilitating ankle bone fractures. [14] However, a 2008 review found it to be ineffective in healing long-bone fractures. [15]

A 2012 review found that evidence that electrotherapy contributes to recovery from knee conditions is of "limited quality". [16]

Chronic pain

A 2016 Cochrane review found that supporting evidence for electrotherapy as a treatment for complex regional pain syndrome is "absent or unclear." [17]

Chronic wounds

A 2015 review found that the evidence supporting the use of electrotherapy in healing pressure ulcers was of low quality, [18] and a 2015 Cochrane review found that no evidence that electromagnetic therapy, a subset of electrotherapy, was effective in healing pressure ulcers. [19] Earlier reviews found that, because of low-quality evidence, it was unclear whether electrotherapy increases healing rates of pressure ulcers. [20] [21] By 2014 the evidence supported electrotherapy's efficacy for ulcer healing. [22]

Another 2015 Cochrane review found no evidence supporting the user of electrotherapy for venous stasis ulcers. [23]

Mental health and mood disorders

Since the 1950s, over 150 published articles have found a positive outcome in using cranial electrostimulation (CES) to treat depression, anxiety, and insomnia. [24]

Contraindications

Electrotherapy is contraindicated for people with: [25] [26]

History

Electric shock treatment with an Oudin coil Oudin coil - Treatment by the effiuvation method.jpg
Electric shock treatment with an Oudin coil
Use of electrical apparatus. Interrupted galvanism used in regeneration of deltoid muscle. First half of the twentieth century. Reeve 41480.jpg
Use of electrical apparatus. Interrupted galvanism used in regeneration of deltoid muscle. First half of the twentieth century.

The first recorded treatment of a patient by electricity was by Johann Gottlob Krüger in 1743. John Wesley promoted electrical treatment as a universal panacea in 1747 but was rejected by mainstream medicine. Giovanni Aldini treated insanity with static electricity 1823–1824. [27]

The first recorded medical treatments with electricity in London were in 1767 at Middlesex Hospital in London using a special apparatus. The same apparatus was purchased for St. Bartholomew's Hospital ten years later. Guy's Hospital has a published list of cases from the early 19th century. [28] Golding Bird at Guy's brought electrotherapy into the mainstream in the mid-19th century. [29] In the second half of the 19th century the emphasis moved from delivering large shocks to the whole body to more measured doses, the minimum effective. [27]

Apparatus

An early 20th century electrotherapy apparatus Electrotherapy apparatus.jpg
An early 20th century electrotherapy apparatus

Electrotherapy equipment has historically included:

People

Some important people in the history of electrotherapy include;

Notable historic fringe practitioners

Muscle stimulation

In 1856 Guillaume Duchenne announced that alternating was superior to direct current for electrotherapeutic triggering of muscle contractions. [30] What he called the 'warming effect' of direct currents irritated the skin, since, at voltage strengths needed for muscle contractions, they cause the skin to blister (at the anode) and pit (at the cathode). Furthermore, with DC each contraction required the current to be stopped and restarted. Moreover, alternating current could produce strong muscle contractions regardless of the condition of the muscle, whereas DC-induced contractions were strong if the muscle was strong, and weak if the muscle was weak.

Since that time almost all rehabilitation involving muscle contraction has been done with a symmetrical rectangular biphasic waveform. During the 1940s, however, the U.S. War Department, investigating the application of electrical stimulation not just to retard and prevent atrophy but to restore muscle mass and strength, employed what was termed galvanic exercise on the atrophied hands of patients who had an ulnar nerve lesion from surgery upon a wound. [30] These galvanic exercises employed a monophasic (single-pulse) direct current waveform.

The American Physical Therapy Association, a professional organization representing physical therapists, accepts the use of electrotherapy in the field of physical therapy. [31] [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transcranial magnetic stimulation</span> Brain stimulation using magnetic fields

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive form of brain stimulation in which a changing magnetic field is used to induce an electric current at a specific area of the brain through electromagnetic induction. An electric pulse generator, or stimulator, is connected to a magnetic coil connected to the scalp. The stimulator generates a changing electric current within the coil which creates a varying magnetic field, inducing a current within a region in the brain itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fibromyalgia</span> Chronic pain of unknown cause

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cranial electrotherapy stimulation</span> Form of neurostimulation

Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) is a form of neurostimulation that delivers a small, pulsed, alternating current via electrodes on the head. CES is used with the intention of treating a variety of conditions such as anxiety, depression and insomnia. CES has been suggested as a possible treatment for headaches, fibromyalgia, smoking cessation, and opiate withdrawal, but there is little evidence of effectiveness for many of these conditions and the evidence for use in acute depression is not sufficient to justify it.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peripheral neuropathy</span> Nervous system disease affecting nerves beyond the brain and spinal cord

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low back pain</span> Medical condition

Low back pain or lumbago is a common disorder involving the muscles, nerves, and bones of the back, in between the lower edge of the ribs and the lower fold of the buttocks. Pain can vary from a dull constant ache to a sudden sharp feeling. Low back pain may be classified by duration as acute, sub-chronic, or chronic. The condition may be further classified by the underlying cause as either mechanical, non-mechanical, or referred pain. The symptoms of low back pain usually improve within a few weeks from the time they start, with 40–90% of people recovered by six weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation</span> Therapeutic technique

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extracorporeal shockwave therapy</span> Ultrasonic, non-invasive, outpatient treatment

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neck pain</span> Medical condition

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patellofemoral pain syndrome</span> Medical condition

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diabetic foot ulcer</span> Medical condition

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References

  1. ↑ Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, "The IEEE standard dictionary of electrical and electronics terms". 6th ed. New York, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, c1997. IEEE Std 100-1996. ISBN   1-55937-833-6 [ed. Standards Coordinating Committee 10, Terms and Definitions; Jane Radatz, (chair)]
  2. ↑ Pieber K, Herceg M, Paternostro-Sluga T (2010). "Electrotherapy for the treatment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy – a review". Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine. 42 (4): 289–295. doi: 10.2340/16501977-0554 . PMID   20461329.
  3. ↑ Hurley MV, Bearne LM (2008). "Non-exercise physical therapies for musculoskeletal conditions". Best Practice & Research: Clinical Rheumatology . 22 (3): 419–433. doi:10.1016/j.berh.2008.01.001. PMID   18519097.
  4. ↑ Sarzi-Puttini P, Cimmino MA, Scarpa R, Caporali R, Parazzini F, Zaninelli A, Atzeni F, Canesi B (2005). "Osteoarthritis: an overview of the disease and its treatment strategies". Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism . 35 (1 Suppl 1): 1–10. doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2005.01.013. PMID   16084227.
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  7. ↑ Kroeling P, Gross A, Graham N, Burnie SJ, Szeto G, Goldsmith CH, Haines T, Forget M (2013). "Electrotherapy for neck pain". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews . 2013 (8): CD004251. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004251.pub5. PMC   10696490 . PMID   23979926.
  8. ↑ Borenstein DG (2007). "Chronic neck pain: how to approach treatment". Current Pain and Headache Reports . 11 (6): 436–439. doi:10.1007/s11916-007-0230-4. PMID   18173978. S2CID   46620725.
  9. ↑ Gutke A, Betten C, Degerskär K, Pousette S, Olsén MF (2015). "Treatments for pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain: a systematic review of physiotherapy modalities". Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica . 94 (11): 1156–1167. doi: 10.1111/aogs.12681 . PMID   26018758.
  10. ↑ Page MJ, Green S, Kramer S, Johnston RV, McBain B, Buchbinder R (2014). "Electrotherapy modalities for adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (10): CD011324. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011324. PMC   10898218 . PMID   25271097.
  11. ↑ Grant HJ, Arthur A, Pichora DR (2004). "Evaluation of interventions for rotator cuff pathology: a systematic review". Journal of Hand Therapy . 17 (2): 274–99. doi:10.1197/j.jht.2004.02.013. PMID   15162111.
  12. ↑ Michener LA, Walsworth MK, Burnet EN (2004). "Effectiveness of rehabilitation for patients with subacromial impingement syndrome: a systematic review". Journal of Hand Therapy . 17 (2): 152–164. doi:10.1197/j.jht.2004.02.004. PMID   15162102.
  13. ↑ Dingemanse R, Randsdorp M, Koes BW, Huisstede BM (2014). "Evidence for the effectiveness of electrophysical modalities for treatment of medial and lateral epicondylitis: a systematic review". British Journal of Sports Medicine . 48 (12): 957–965. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2012-091513. PMID   23335238. S2CID   11549940.
  14. ↑ Lin CW, Donkers NA, Refshauge KM, Beckenkamp PR, Khera K, Moseley AM (2012). Lin CC (ed.). "Rehabilitation for ankle fractures in adults". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews . 11: CD005595. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005595.pub3. PMID   23152232.
  15. ↑ Mollon B, da Silva V, Busse JW, Einhorn TA, Bhandari M (November 2008). "Electrical stimulation for long-bone fracture-healing: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials". The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American Volume. 90 (11): 2322–2330. doi:10.2106/JBJS.H.00111. PMID   18978400.
  16. ↑ Button K, Iqbal AS, Letchford RH, van Deursen RW (2012). "Clinical effectiveness of knee rehabilitation techniques and implications for a self-care treatment model". Physiotherapy . 98 (4): 288–299. doi:10.1016/j.physio.2011.08.003. PMID   23122433.
  17. ↑ Smart KM, Ferraro MC, Wand BM, O'Connell NE (2022-05-17). "Physiotherapy for pain and disability in adults with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) types I and II". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 5 (8): CD010853. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010853.pub3. ISSN   1469-493X. PMC   9112661 . PMID   35579382.
  18. ↑ Vélez-Díaz-Pallarés M, Lozano-Montoya I, Abraha I, Cherubini A, Soiza RL, O'Mahony D, Montero-Errasquín B, Cruz-Jentoft AJ (2015). "Nonpharmacologic interventions to heal pressure ulcers in older patients: an overview of systematic teviews (The SENATOR-ONTOP Series)". Journal of the American Medical Directors Association . 16 (6): 448–469. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2015.01.083. PMID   25737261. S2CID   28533912.
  19. ↑ Aziz Z, Flemming K (2015). "Electromagnetic therapy for treating pressure ulcers" (PDF). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 (9): CD002930. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002930.pub6. PMC   7138036 . PMID   26334539.
  20. ↑ Reddy M (2011). "Pressure ulcers". BMJ Clinical Evidence . 2011. PMC   3217823 . PMID   21524319.[ permanent dead link ]
  21. ↑ Cullum N, Petherick E (2008). "Pressure ulcers". BMJ Clinical Evidence . 2008. PMC   2907959 . PMID   19450317.[ permanent dead link ]
  22. ↑ Barnes R, Shahin Y, Gohil R, Chetter I (April 2014). "Electrical stimulation vs. standard care for chronic ulcer healing: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials". European Journal of Clinical Investigation. 44 (4): 429–440. doi:10.1111/eci.12244. PMID   24456185. S2CID   35060756.
  23. ↑ Aziz Z, Cullum N, Flemming K (2015). "Electromagnetic therapy for treating venous leg ulcers" (PDF). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2015 (7): CD002933. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002933.pub6. PMC   6885063 . PMID   26134172.
  24. ↑ Cantor DS, Evans JR (2013). Clinical Neurotherapy. Elsevier Science. ISBN   978-0-12-396988-0.[ page needed ]
  25. ↑ "Electrotherapy – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  26. ↑ Wu C (2018). "Physical Agent Modalities". Braddom's Rehabilitation Care: A Clinical Handbook. pp. 119–125.e11. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-47904-2.00017-9. ISBN   978-0-323-47904-2.
  27. 1 2 Chalovich JM (23 January 2012). Franklinization: Early Therapeutic Use of Static Electricity. hdl: 10342/3929 .
  28. ↑ Steavenson, William Edward (1892). Medical electricity. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston, Son & Company. pp.  3–4.
  29. ↑ Morus IR (1998). Frankenstein's Children: Electricity, Exhibition, and Experiment in Early-nineteenth-century London. Princeton University Press. pp. 234–237. ISBN   978-0-691-05952-5.
  30. 1 2 Licht S (1967). "History of Electrotherapy". Therapeutic electricity and ultraviolet radiation. Waverly. pp. 1–70. OCLC   901158561.
  31. ↑ Electrotherapeutic terminology in physical therapy. American Physical Therapy Association. 2001. ISBN   978-1-887759-88-5. OCLC   756896404. Archived from the original on 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-09-08.[ page needed ]
  32. ↑ Robinson AJ, Snyder-Mackler L (2008). Clinical electrophysiology: electrotherapy and electrophysiologic testing. Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 151–196, 198–237, 239–274. ISBN   978-0-7817-4484-3. OCLC   141177550.
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