Electrotherapy

Electrotherapy is the direct use of electrical energy for therapeutic purposes. It also includes therapeutic methods in which electrical energy is converted into other forms of energy, such as light, heat or mechanical energy. In physical and rehabilitation medicine, electrotherapy is classified by the frequency and direction of the current: we distinguish low-, medium- and high-frequency currents, and direct, alternating and pulsed currents.

The effects of this therapy include vasodilation, hyperaemia, pain relief, stimulation of callus formation and reduction of swelling. General indications for electrotherapy include degenerative diseases, rheumatic diseases (in the chronic phase), circulatory disorders, various musculoskeletal injuries and sports injuries (sprains, contusions, subluxations), as well as many other conditions.

Contraindications to electrotherapy include pacemakers, decompensated heart failure, fever, malignant tumours in the treatment area, metal foreign bodies (except when interferential currents are used), acute thrombophlebitis, skin conditions where the current is applied, epilepsy, bleeding and a tendency to bleed, and pregnancy.