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Concept
Electrotherapy
Summary
Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a medical treatment. In medicine, the term electrotherapy can apply to a variety of treatments, including the use of electrical devices such as deep brain stimulators for neurological disease. The term has also been applied specifically to the use of electric current to speed wound healing. Additionally, the term "electrotherapy" or "electromagnetic therapy" has also been applied to a range of alternative medical devices and treatments.
Electrotherapy is primarily used in physical therapy for:
relaxation of muscle spasms
prevention and retardation of disuse atrophy
increase of local blood circulation
muscle rehabilitation and re-education
electrical muscle stimulation
maintaining and increasing range of motion
management of chronic and intractable pain including diabetic neuropathy
acute post-traumatic and post-surgical pain
post-surgical stimulation of muscles to prevent venous thrombosis
wound healing
drug delivery
Some of the treatment effectiveness mechanisms are little understood, with effectiveness and best practices for their use still anecdotal.
In general, there is little evidence that electrotherapy is effective in the management of musculoskeletal conditions.
In particular, there is no evidence that electrotherapy is effective in the relief of pain arising from osteoarthritis,
and little to no evidence available to support electrotherapy for the management of fibromyalgia.
A 2016 review found that, "in evidence of no effectiveness," clinicians should not offer electrotherapy for the treatment of neck pain or associated disorders.
Earlier reviews found that no conclusions could be drawn about the effectiveness of electrotherapy for neck pain,
and that electrotherapy has limited effect on neck pain as measured by clinical results.
A 2015 review found that the evidence for electrotherapy in pregnancy-related lower back pain is "very limited".
A 2014 Cochrane review found insufficient evidence to determine whether electrotherapy was better than exercise at treating adhesive capsulitis.
Official source
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