If you are having difficulty moving around after injury or illness, you may benefit from physical therapy to help restore normal mobility. Your PT may choose to use e-stim to help you move better or feel better.
Here are some examples of how your physical therapist uses electrical stimulation during physical therapy. When you have a basic understanding of what your PT is trying to accomplish while using e-stim, you will be fully invested in your rehab program.
A word of caution: TENS is a passive treatment, and most successful rehab programs are ones that are built around active exercises. Be sure you are only using TENS to control your pain as part of an active rehab program.
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is often used to help your muscles to relearn how to contract properly. To perform NMES, your PT will place electrodes on specific areas of a muscle that are not contracting properly. Electrical impulses will then be introduced, and these impulses will work to contract your muscle. While the electricity is stimulating your muscle, you may be working with the stimulation to improve neuromuscular recruitment of the injured muscle.
Some specialized stimulation units, like the Bioness, use functional NMES. A small switch is added to the unit that can rapidly turn it on or off during functional activities like walking and reaching. These units can help people regain functional independence after stroke or injury that causes paresis or muscle atrophy.
Remember, active stretching after the electrical stimulation is necessary to help keep the trigger points calm. Most research indicates that the electricity may reduce your symptoms, although the trigger point in your muscle may still remain.
Iontophoresis is often used to administer anti-inflammatory medicine such as dexamethasone. It may also be used to help reduce muscle spasm or break up calcific deposits that may form in muscle tissue or tendons.
Your physical therapist is a movement specialist who can prescribe exercises and home programs to help you move better and feel better. Sometimes, external supports and modalities, such as electrical stimulation, may be used to help augment your active rehab program. Once you’re aware of the options for using electrical stimulation, you’ll have no surprises when your therapist introduces electricity into your rehab program.
