Electrical Stimulation as Therapy - Research Paper

Introduction

Electric Current is being defined as a flow of electric charges due to the difference of the voltage. In this context, the term voltage is used to refer to the electrical potential energy of the unit charge being transported between two different points (Nilsson & Riedel, 2015). Therefore, the term voltage and potential difference can be said to have the same meaning since both have the concept of transportation of unit charges.

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Types of Electric Current

There are three types of electric current as it is being highlighted in this assignment. The following are types of electrical currents to be discussed: Direct Electric current, Alternating Electric Current and finally Pulse Electric current

• Direct Electric Current (DC) - This is a type of electric current whereby the flow of electric charge is only in one direction, and this value mostly remains to be constant. By mean of flow in one direction is that both negative and positive terminals usually remain negative and positive respectively. Devices such as solar cells, batteries as well as fuel cells produce this kind of electric current.
• Alternating Electric Current (AC) - This is kind of electric current whereby the flow keeps on reversing its direction at regular intervals. The concept in this kind of flow is that the alternating occurs 60 times every second. Example of the power being produced by AC includes electricity from power plants and the energy from wall sockets.
• Pulse Electric Current - This is the type of periodic electric current which keeps on changing its value, but it does not change its direction.

There are various ways in which this flow of charges is being applied. One of the critical areas whereby this flow charge is being used is Physical Therapy Interventions. This intervention is carried by the process known as Electrical stimulation (Olsen, Signal, Niazi, Christensen, Jochumsen, & Taylor, 2018). If a person is suffering from an injury which causes pain, the doctor uses electricity stimulation commonly known as E - stim as one of the way of treating method.

When a person is suffering from the injury which causes pain or the limited mobility, physical therapy may be used to aid in reducing that pain. One of the methods which can be used to ease the pain is through iontophoresis. This is a type of electrical stimulation whereby the medication is being administered in the body through the use of skin. To understand how iontophoresis works, one has to have a basic knowledge of physics. The principle which is being applied here is that ionic charges which are alike will tend to repel to one another while those of opposite charges will be attracted to each other (Niebaum, McCauley & Medina, 2018). So if the medicine to be administered is in a solution form which is negatively charged and negatively electric charge is being applied to that solution, the drug will be pushed or repelled away, and in that way, it will be administered to the skin where there is injury or pain. In this concept, it is discovered that medication being used in iontophoresis is usually ionically charged. This has the meaning that if physical therapists introduce medicine into the injured tissues via this method and medication is being charged negatively; then the negative current will be in use to produce repelling aspects and therefore driving medicine into the body.

The other method of physical therapy intervention which uses the concept of the flow of electric charges is known as inferential Current (IFC). This is being defined as a type of E - stimulation which makes the use of two separate channels concurrently. When setting this up, electrodes of each channel are being set up in a crossing pattern to make sure that the electric current crosses. This leads to the occurrence of the waves which combines at that particular point through having a summative outcome. When the setting of each channel at different frequencies is being done, it results in different summation at each specific point which occurs in a beat of the spectrum (Niebaum, McCauley & Medina, 2018). This kind of dynamic simulation is being used to ease edema, pain as well as muscle rehab though it depends on the beat of frequency which is being produced. Therefore, it can be said that the purpose of IFC intervention therapy is delivering the currents into the deeper tissues through overcoming the impedance of the skin.

Another method of physical therapy intervention and also uses the concept of charge flow is known as the Russian Stimulation. This is the type of E- stimulation which applies the medium frequency AC at kHz thousand cycles within a second (Niebaum, McCauley & Medina, 2018). This frequency is being delivered in pulse or interrupted output. The pulsing is usually at low rates which makes the nerves to respond accordingly. This method of E - stimulation is being applied as one the means of relieving pain in muscles.

The other method of physical therapy intervention is known as TENS which is mostly delivered from the small devices. They are being preferred when a patient is having chronic pain and uses the principle of producing difference frequencies which result in different beats of exciting the sensory nerves.

References

Niebaum, K., McCauley, L., & Medina, C. (2018). Rehabilitation physical modalities. Canine sports medicine and rehabilitation, 136-176.

Nilsson, J. W., & Riedel, S. A. (2015). Electric circuits. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Olsen, S., Signal, N., Niazi, I. K., Christensen, T., Jochumsen, M., & Taylor, D. (2018). Paired Associative Stimulation Delivered by Pairing Movement

Related Cortical Potentials With Peripheral Electrical Stimulation: An Investigation of the Duration of Neuromodulatory Effects. Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface, 21(4), 362-367.