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INTRODUCTION
The treatment of physical dysfunction or injury by the use of therapeutic exercise and theapplication of modalities intended to restore or facilitate normal function or developmentis called Physical Therapy. Physical Therapy provides services to develop, maintain andrestore maximum movement and functional ability throughout life. This includescircumstances where movement and function are threatened by aging, injury, disease or environmental factors. Functional movement is a central element in what it means to behealthy.An exciting movement has taken place in the use of electricity to speed recoveryfrom injuries and relieve pain by delivering very small amounts of electrical energy thatfacilitates the movement of ions in human soft tissue. The human body is basically madeup of 67% salt water in which ions are transferred via electrochemical processes. Whenan injury or disease occurs, this normal process is disrupted. Low energy levelsintroduced effectively to the human body may facilitate the natural healing process.Fig 1. An electrotherapy procedure in progress
Electrotherapy
is the treatment of patients by electrical means with the application of anelectric current to stimulate a tissue in order to bring about physiological changes for therapeutic purposes for healing or restoring a lost function. Electrotherapy is used for three therapeutic purposes: (1) to relieve pain (2) to stimulate physiochemical changesand (3) to stimulate muscle contraction.The benefits of electrotherapy include pain relief,relaxation of muscle spasms, prevention of muscle wasting.
Regardless, becauseelectrotherapy has little risks associated with its use, it is definitelyworth a try when addressing pain and recovery from an injury. It is a
1
 
noninvasive,
 
drug-free technique, it is non-addictive, and is completelysafe when used appropriately
 
and correctly.
ELECTRICAL STIMULATORS
Electrical stimulators directly block transmission of pain signals along nerves. Inaddition, electrical stimulation promotes the release of endorphins, which are natural painkillers produced by the body. Electrical stimulators provide muscle contraction usingelectric impulses. The impulses are generated by a device and delivered throughelectrodes on the skin in direct proximity to the muscles to be stimulated. The impulsesmimic the action potential coming from the central nervous system, causing the musclesto contract. The electrodes are generally pads that adhere to the skin.Bioelectric potentials are generated within individual cells,when these cells are stimulated. All cells are sensitive, to some degree to artificialelectrical stimulation. When analyzing biomedical phenomena, it is often desirable toartificially stimulate a group of cells. Such artificial stimulation is achieved by using a pulse generator to pass a current through the cells concerned over a brief period of time.The low voltage is usually done on smaller, involuntary muscle groups, which cannot bestimulated in other ways. The low voltage also stimulates the brain, which starts sendingimpulses through the involuntary muscles, thus stimulating them as well.Fig 2. Schematic of a basic Electrical Stimulation System.In Electrical Stimulation, electrodes are placed initially on the muscle that is to bestimulated. AC electrical stimulation is then applied at low levels (threshold levels for muscle movement). Based on muscle responses to the threshold stimulation, electrode positions are adjusted until the motor points of the muscle (optimal positions for generating muscle movement) are found. Electrodes are then secured at these optimal positions. After the electrodes have been placed, parameters for electrical stimulation are programmed into the electrical stimulator unit. The maximum pulse amplitude2
 
recommended for electrical stimulation is generally the maximum amplitude that can betolerated by a given patient.
PRINCIPLE OF ELECTRICAL STIMULATION
If a normal muscle or motor nerve is stimulated with a current of adequate intensity, itresults in its contraction. When there is disease or injury of a motor nerve or muscle,alterations are liable to occur in their response to electrical stimulation. The changedelectrical response may be of considerable help in the diagnosis of certain diseasesaffecting them. Quantitatively, these changes manifest themselves in that a higher or lower current intensity than normal is required to bring about a muscle contraction. It is,therefore, possible to determine the degeneration and regeneration processes in nervesand the muscle system by the use of stimulation current technique. Fig 3. Application of electrical stimulation to a damaged CNS pathway.If the nerve to a muscle is damaged, then the motor axons in the muscle degenerate anddisappear so that the muscle can no longer be excited by the nerve. Such a muscle iscalled a denervated muscle. Even though such a muscle can no longer be activated by itsnerve it can be made to contract if the electrodes are placed directly onto the muscle andlarge currents are used to excite the muscle fibers themselves. When the adaptive potential of a denervated muscle was tested, it was found that just like a normal muscleits properties could be altered by electrical stimulation. If the denervated muscle isstimulated for long periods of time at low frequency it becomes a slow postural muscle, but when it is activated intermittently with burst at high frequencies, it becomes a fastcontracting muscle. Thus the ability of the muscle to change its properties is inherent in3
BrainSpinal CordLimbStimulator
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Waqar_Ali_3125

this is my favourit projecr

reply04 / 12 / 2010
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