Electrotherapy

Rheumatism is a broad term for the painful afflictions of the musculoskeletal system, which include a variety of symptoms ranging from vague pain or aching to profound disability. This article explores the imperative role of physiotherapy in navigating pain within the field of rheumatology, providing a comprehensive review of non-pharmacological pain management strategies. A literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane databases was conducted, employing keywords like "Pain," "Rheumatic disease," and "Physiotherapy," with the review emphasizing recent English studies, particularly randomized trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews over the last 10 years, to consolidate evidence on the efficacy of physiotherapy interventions for individuals with rheumatic disease...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease characterized by degeneration of cartilage or wear and tear. OA is a cause of disability and health issues. It is a disease that affects more than 500 million adults annually worldwide, of which India accounts for about 22 to 39% of OA patients. The most common type of osteoarthritis is knee OA. Pathogenesis of OA requires evolution in basic science and clinical research to enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis and as well as different treatment options. It is mainly classified as primary and secondary OA...

Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) delivers low-intensity electrical currents to the brain to treat anxiety, depression, and pain. Though CES is considered safe and cost-effective, little is known about side effects emerging across different contexts. Our objective was to investigate how varying physical and cognitive demands impact the frequency and intensity of CES vestibular sensations in a sample of healthy young adults. We used a 2 (stimulation: sham, active) × 2 (physical demand: static sway, dynamic sit-to-stand) × 2 (cognitive demand: single-task remain silent, dual-task count backward) repeated measures design...

In 1908-1909, Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (1863-1944), best remembered for The Scream (1893), spent eight months under Daniel Jacobson's care in a private nerve clinic in Copenhagen. Munch was suffering from alcohol abuse, and his signs and symptoms included auditory hallucinations, persecutory delusions, paresthesias, paralyses, violent mood swings, depression, loss of control, fatigue, and the loss of his basic ability to take care of himself. He was treated with rest, a fortifying diet, massages, baths, fresh air, limited exercise, and nonconvulsive electrotherapy...

Bioelectronic implants delivering electrical stimulation offer an attractive alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals in electrotherapy. However, achieving simple, rapid, and cost-effective personalization of these implants for customized treatment in unique clinical and physical scenarios presents a substantial challenge. This challenge is further compounded by the need to ensure safety and minimal invasiveness, requiring essential attributes such as flexibility, biocompatibility, lightness, biodegradability, and wireless stimulation capability...

BACKGROUND: Understanding risk factors linked to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) is crucial for enhancing health promotion and ensuring workplace safety among healthcare professionals particularly physical therapists (PTs). However, in Vietnam, there has been lack of an investigation. Therefore, this study was to determine whether potential risk factors contributed to the occurrence of WMSDs among PTs in Ho Chi Minh City. METHOD: An online self-reported questionnaire for WMSDs comprising the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), Job-risk and Environmental factors, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4) and the coping strategies, were distributed to PTs...

OBJECTIVES: Clinical research is the bedrock of clinical innovation, education and practice. We characterized and critically appraised physiotherapy clinical research to avoid implementing misleading research findings into practice and to task the Nigerian physiotherapy societies on responsible conduct of clinical research. METHODS: This is a systematic review of articles published in English between 2009 and 2023. We started with 2009 because at least few Nigerian Physiotherapy school had commenced postgraduate (research) training by then...

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of quantum molecular resonance in the treatment of dry eye disease. METHODS: This study was a double-blind randomized control trial in 1 academic medical center, for 2 years. Participants received treatment or a placebo with the Rexon-Eye device, once per week for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the change in dry eye symptoms assessed by the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI). Secondary outcomes were clinical findings associated with the dry eye such as meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) score, tear break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining, Schirmer test, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA)...

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a clinical syndrome that can cause neurological disorders due to a reduction or interruption in the blood flow at the brain level. Transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) is a non-invasive electrotherapy technique with the ability to modulate the function of nervous tissue. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to analyze the effects derived from the application of the TDCS for post-stroke patients on functionality and mobility. METHODS: The data search was conducted in PubMed, PEDro, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Scopus between July and August 2023...

The goal of the trial was to examine the effects of adding electromyographic biofeedback (EMG-BF) to the conventional program of physiotherapy after total hip arthroplasty (THA) on functional recovery and quality of life. The trial was designed as a prospective, interventional, single-blinded randomized controlled study. Ninety patients were randomized into an experimental group (EG) ( n = 45; mean age 63.9 ± 8.8) and control group (CG) ( n = 45; mean age 63.9 ± 9). All patients received 21 days of physiotherapy which consisted of therapeutic exercise (land-based and aquatic), electrotherapy, and education...

BACKGROUND: Stroke and its associated complications are a major cause of long-term disability worldwide, with spasticity being a common and severe issue. Physical therapy, involving stretching exercises and electrical stimulation, is crucial for managing spasticity. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) combined with a conventional rehabilitation program (CRP) on plantarflexor muscle spasticity and walking performance among individuals with chronic stroke...

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Quantum Molecular Resonance (QMR) treatment in patients with severe dry eye disease (DED), as well as its effects on aqueous-deficient (ADDE), evaporative (EDE), and mixed (MDE) dry eye. METHODS: In this prospective, interventional study, 81 patients were randomly allocated to received four treatment sessions of QMR at 1-week intervals (Rexon-Eye® , Resono Ophthalmic, Trieste, Italy) (QRM group) or tear substitute four times daily, containing 0...

PURPOSE: Electrotherapies are commonly used to treat adult musculoskeletal pathologies. However, there is insufficient evidence supporting the use of electrotherapies for lower limb conditions in children. Currently, it is unknown how electrotherapies are used in paediatric clinical practice. This study aimed to investigate if practitioners use electrotherapy to treat children's lower limb conditions, frequency and why. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A custom-built online survey was disseminated via social media targeting international medical and healthcare practitioners who treat children with lower limb conditions using electrotherapy...

BACKGROUND: High baseline pain self-efficacy (PSE) predicts a better outcome for people attending physiotherapy for musculoskeletal shoulder pain. A potential contributing factor is that PSE moderates the relationship between some treatment modalities and outcome. Our aim was to investigate whether there is a difference in outcome between participants with high compared to low PSE receiving manual therapy, acupuncture, and electrotherapy. METHODS: Participants were stratified into high or low baseline (i) PSE, (ii) shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI), and (iii) did or did not receive the treatment...

Odynophagia refers to painful swallowing caused by various underlying factors that must be excluded to determine the best treatment approach. Neck pain is a debilitating condition requiring treatment in rehabilitative settings. There are several circumstances in which odynophagia and neck pain coexist, such as tendinitis of the longus colli muscle and paravertebral calcification, prevertebral and retropharyngeal abscess, esophageal perforation, aortic dissection, thyroid cartilage fracture, thyrohyoid ligament syndrome, pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema, and after physical exercise...

Background Lateral epicondylitis is one of the most prevalent repetitive strain injuries or overuse injuries of the upper limb. Lateral epicondylitis also known as tennis elbow can be caused by repeated wrist and forearm movements. Treatment strategies have evolved significantly to treat tennis elbow, ranging from simple exercises to the use of various electrotherapy modalities. Soft-tissue release treatments such as myofascial release and active release techniques (ARTs) have also been tested. Better therapeutic approaches for chronic lateral epicondylitis remained a point of contention until recently when additional therapy alternatives became available...

The design of biomaterials able to facilitate cell adhesion is critical in the field of tissue engineering. Precise control of surface chemistry at the material/tissue interface plays a major role in enhancing the interactions between a biomaterial and living cells. Bio-integration is particularly important in case of various electrotherapies, since a close contact between tissue and electrode's surface facilitates treatment. A promising approach towards surface biofunctionalization involves the electrografting of diazonium salts followed by the modification of organic layer with pro-adhesive polypeptides...

During the past decades, the potential effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) on human health have gained great interest all around the world. Though the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection recommended a 100 μT, and then a 200 μT magnetic field limit, the long-term effects of ELF-EMFs on organisms and systems need to be further investigated. It was reported that both electrotherapy and possible effects on human health could be induced under ELF-EM radiation with varied EM frequencies and fields...

Diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) affects a significant number of postpartum women, while its treatments are still under debate. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation training programs for postpartum DRA treatment. Four databases were systematically searched to identify eligible studies published up to February 1, 2023. We followed the PRISMA for scoping reviews guideline in this study. The characteristics and the main findings of the included studies were extracted. Sixteen studies enrolling 1129 women during the ante- and/or postnatal period were included...

Pulsed electric fields are extensively utilized in clinical treatments, such as subthalamic deep brain stimulation, where electric field loading is in direct contact with brain tissue. However, the alterations in brain tissue's mechanical properties and microstructure due to changes in electric field parameters have not received adequate attention. In this study, the mechanical properties and microstructure of the brain tissue under pulsed electric fields were focused on. Herein, a custom indentation device was equipped with a module for electric field loading...