Treatments...

Electrotherapy

Electrotherapy is the application of small electrical forces to the body to achieve therapeutic effects. 

How does it work?

• Naturally-occurring physiological processes in the body produce their own electrical charges.  The application of similar charges through the use of external electrical stimulation creates an interaction with the body’s own charges.

• At Alpha Physiotherapy, Ultrasound is the primary electrotherapy technique used.  Ultrasonic treatment is the most researched electrotherapy treatment used in a physiotherapy context.

• Ultrasound works by creating mechanical vibrations which pass into the body and create small oscillations.  These oscillations stimulate fluid movement around cells, and this in turn is thought to help chemicals important for healing move across cell membranes and stimulate repair processes. 

• Ultrasound also promotes collagen synthesis, an important process in healing injured areas, as well as improving the extensibility of scar tissue, allowing repaired tissue to be closer to the same level of flexibility as undamaged tissue.

What is it used to treat?

• Any condition that requires the control of inflammatory processes, or for pain relief.  As with acupuncture, we would usually offer electrotherapy as an adjunct to more traditional physiotherapy treatments, rather than as a treatment in itself.