Electrotherapy is a term that incorporates several different treatment options available to trained physiotherapists. When used correctly, these modalities can help control spasm and pain, improve healing rates, and assist in the retraining of the muscle groups that are affected by injury.
At West London Physio, we use electrotherapy along side our manual therapy and exercise prescription to accelerate healing and ensure pain and injury resolves as quickly as possible.
EMG (electromyography) uses surface electrodes to measure activity in the muscle below the skin. We use this to ensure correct and efficient retraining of important muscles that are involved in pain and injury.
Ultrasound uses a from of high frequency sound waves to aid the increase of local blood flow, stimulate the healing of collagen tissue in ligaments and tendons, and improve the extensibility of collagen, thereby having a positive effect on scar tissue. The benefits of ultrasound are widely accepted in the clinical world, and are constantly under scientific review to fully assess their benefit.
“TENS” is the acronym for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. A TENS unit sends electrical impulses to certain parts of the body to block pain signals. The electrical currents produced feel like a mild tingle and can prevent pain messages from being transmitted to the brain thus giving pain relief.
