Electrical Stimulation in Perth

Q: What is the process of electrical stimulation?

For Muscle Recovery: Neuromuscular stimulation therapy mimics the action of signals coming from neurons (cells in your nervous system) with electrical pulses. This causes targeted muscles to contract repeatedly which improves blood flow and promotes muscle healing. For Pain Relief: Electrical nerve stimulation used for pain relief sends signals on a different wavelength, so they reach the nerves instead of the muscles. Pain receptors can be blocked from being sent from the nerves to the brain by electrical stimulation. For Swelling: The muscle contractions elicited by electrical stimulation compress blood and lymph vessels. This assists in the resolution of edema and swelling in the area.

Don’t let pain or inactivity hold you back any longer. If you’re dealing with pain or a chronic condition, electrical stimulation may be the answer you’ve been looking for. Contact Archer St Physiotherapy Centre today to learn more about electrical stimulation therapy.

Electrical Stimulation Helps You Regain Strength

Let’s face it, getting injured is never fun. In fact, it can be downright painful and frustrating.

Not being able to move around easily due to an injury can make everyday tasks feel impossible. Even something as simple as taking a shower can become a challenge.

Electrical stimulation at Archer St Physiotherapy Centre can help you get back on your feet sooner. Our experienced physiotherapists will work with you to create a rehabilitation program that may incorporate electrical stimulation for muscle activation and pain relief. We’ll also provide tips and tricks to make moving around easier, so you can get back to your life as soon as possible.

Benefits

Benefits of Electrical Stimulation

Pain Management

Through the Gate Control Theory, stimulation therapy aids in pain management. It blocks painful nerve impulses from reaching the brain. Without signals to interpret, the brain is unaware of any pain present in the body.

Slowed Muscle Atrophy

Muscle atrophy occurs when muscles become smaller and weaker due to inactivity. By exercising muscles with electrical stimulation, patients can maintain their muscular strength and mass while they wait for their injury to heal. Movement is induced by sending electrical impulses to the muscles.

Aided Injury Recovery

As a result of the increased blood flow, the muscles receive nutrients and waste products are removed. This results in a faster healing process.

Spasticity Reduction

In people suffering from spasticity after a stroke, involuntary muscular contraction can cause tightness and pain. Patients with spasticity can benefit from electrical stimulation to improve joint motion and reduce pain by relaxing tight muscles.

Why Choose Archer St Physiotherapy Centre for Electrical Stimulation

Our team of highly qualified and experienced physiotherapists will work with you one-on-one to create a personalised treatment plan that will help reduce your pain.

Electrical stimulation at Archer St Physiotherapy Centre can help speed up your recovery process and get you back to regular daily living. We offer a variety of treatments that are tailored specifically to your desired outcomes. Contact us today for more information!

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ's about Electrical Stimulation

What are the therapeutic uses of electrical stimulation?

There are many reasons for using electrical stimulation in physiotherapy. Among them are:

To reduce inflammation
To improve muscle function
To decrease pain and muscle spasms

You may benefit from this treatment if you are experiencing pain, spasms, inflammation, or muscle weakness. Among the medical conditions that can be treated with electrical stimulation are:

Low back pain
Post-surgical pain
Muscle weakness or poor motor control
Tendonitis
Stroke

What is the process of electrical stimulation?

For Muscle Recovery:
Neuromuscular stimulation therapy mimics the action of signals coming from neurons (cells in your nervous system) with electrical pulses. This causes targeted muscles to contract repeatedly which improves blood flow and promotes muscle healing.
For Pain Relief:
Electrical nerve stimulation used for pain relief sends signals on a different wavelength, so they reach the nerves instead of the muscles. Pain receptors can be blocked from being sent from the nerves to the brain by electrical stimulation.
For Swelling:
The muscle contractions elicited by electrical stimulation compress blood and lymph vessels. This assists in the resolution of edema and swelling in the area.

Can electrical stimulation help build muscle mass?

There is some evidence that electrical stimulation can improve muscle mass and body function. However, most studies involved people who had suffered a muscle branch injury or atrophy. After several weeks of treatment, muscle mass was slightly increased. These same results will not be as evident when stimulation is applied to healthy muscles. A proper exercise regime is still the best way to build muscle.

How long should you use electrical muscle stimulation?

Electrical stimulation therapy is safe to be performed every day. However, treatment sessions may last from 20-60 minutes, depending on the need. It is possible to achieve pain relief for up to four hours with Transcutaneous Electrical Neuromuscular Stimulation (TENS).

What are the types of electrical stimulation?

Different types of electrical stimulation can be utilised by your physiotherapist. Learn about some of them.

Transcutaneous Electrical Neuromuscular Stimulation (TENS)

Physiotherapists use transcutaneous electrical neuromuscular stimulation (TENS) to manage short- and long-term pain. To decrease your pain, your therapist will apply active electrode pads to your body over painful areas. By adjusting the intensity of the electricity, the pain signals travelling from your body to your brain will be blocked.

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES)

During neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), an electrical current is used to contract a single muscle or a group of muscles. Physiotherapists can activate muscle fibres by placing surface electrodes on the skin in various locations.

Electrical stimulation improves the way your affected muscles contract. Physiotherapists can change the current setting to allow forceful or gentle muscle contractions.

Muscle contraction also promotes blood flow to the area, as well as increasing muscle function. This results in faster healing of the injury. It can also help decrease muscular spasms by tiring out the spasming muscle.

Does electrical stimulation help nerve damage?

Studies show that direct electrical stimulation caused better recovery than TENS in terms of functional and morphological parameters. Furthermore, faster and better recovery of motor function can be observed. Thus, direct electrical stimulation facilitates nerve regeneration more effectively than TENS after injury and hastens functional recovery.

Is electrical stimulation good for you?

Whether you’re recovering from an injury or acute stroke or suffering from the pain of fibromyalgia or another condition, you might benefit from electrical stimulation. It is commonly used as adjunctive therapy to help achieve the desired outcome of rehabilitation.

While it may not be suitable for everyone, for many people, this painless procedure accelerates their recovery and provides relief from painful or uncomfortable symptoms.

Can a TENS unit be harmful?

TENS is a relatively safe treatment for most people. The pads may irritate the skin of some people, but there are special pads for people with allergies.

You should be aware that TENS is not safe for everyone to use. Medical clearance for active treatment with neuromuscular stimulation be acquired if:

A pacemaker or metal or electrical implant is implanted in your body
You are pregnant, or there is a chance you might be pregnant
You have epilepsy or a heart condition