Electrotherapy

BWT Chartered Physiotherapists use electrotherapy as an adjunct to their manual therapy techniques when treating disorders relating to the muscles and other soft tissues.
 

Some of the main electrotherapy methods are listed below:

• Pulsed Shortwave diathermy - produces an electromagnetic field which generates heat within tissues. This helps healing, reduces swelling and offers pain relief. It is useful for treating soft tissue injuries, slow healing wounds, sinusitis and conditions affecting the pelvic area.

• Ultrasound - involves using high frequency sound waves to treat injuries to collagenous tissues such as tendons and ligaments. It stimulates blood circulation and cell activity, accelerating the healing process and providing pain relief.

• Laser - used to produce a concentrated beam of light radiation. Treatment stimulates tissue healing and reduces pain, inflammation and swelling. It is often used for skin conditions and soft tissue injuries and to heal open wounds.

• TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) - produces pain relief by blocking pain messages to the brain.

• Muscle Stimulators- used in conjunction with an exercise programme to enhance the ability of a muscle to contract, used predominantly in exercise rehabilitation programmes or when wishing to re-train a primary muscle function.

• Interferential therapy- another method of facilitating muscle contraction and also enhancing a degree of pain relief at the site of injury.