Electrical Stimulation Chiropractic Care: You Need To Know

The road to recovery can be long and challenging. Patients are always eager to recover and resume their normal lives. Chiropractors play an essential role in guiding them through their journey. Various treatment strategies are used to help patients achieve their rehabilitation goals as fast as possible. One of these methods is electrical stimulation chiropractic. This is a focused method used with chiropractic therapy to alleviate pain and speed up recovery after injury, surgery, or spasms.

Let's learn more about electrical stimulation chiropractic treatment, including its benefits, how it works, and what ailments it can cure.

What Is Electrical Stimulation Chiropractic?

Electrical stimulation is a targeted rehab treatment that can be used in combination with manual therapy and other rehab activities. It supports the recovery process by stimulating specific muscles to prevent atrophy and build strength. Chiropractic electrical stimulation can be applied to help treat pain or recover muscle strength following an injury, surgery, or spasm.

How Does Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) Work?

EMS sends modest electrical pulses to the targeted muscle region to restore muscular strength. Chiropractors attach electrodes to the patient’s skin in order to stimulate muscle contraction. The electrical impulses imitate brain signals and the natural way that the body should respond.

To treat pain, electrical stimulation is delivered to targeted nerves. Chiropractors use electrodes to send electrical pulses to specific areas of the nervous system. This helps block pain signals from reaching the spine and brain. The stimulation also works to boost the body’s production of endorphins, which are natural pain relievers.

Is Electrical Muscle Stimulation Safe?

Yes, when utilized properly by chiropractors in Port Orange, Electrical Muscle Stimulation is safe. Therefore, if you're seeking an effective, non-invasive treatment in addition to chiropractic care, EMS could be the answer!

The Role Of Electrical Stimulation In Modern Recovery Programs

Physiotherapy: EMS can be used on physiotherapy patients to assist them in reawakening their muscle response while recovering from surgery or injury. For example, electrical stimulation has been proven to successfully enhance the quadriceps following ACL reconstruction surgery. Electrical muscle stimulation can be used as part of a physiotherapy program with focused exercises. It can improve therapeutic involvement and resolve deficiencies.

Rehabilitation: Electrical stimulation chiropractic has also been shown to be an effective way to increase mobility and strength for patients recovering from a serious injury. It can be used as part of a rehab and occupational therapy program. The stimulation helps retrain muscles to respond to the body’s natural signals and build strength by causing repeated contractions. It is beneficial when patients are working to relearn basic motor functions.

Long-Term Care: Patients who have suffered a spinal cord injury or paralysis can keep their muscles engaged using electrical stimulation. Furthermore, therapists use electrical stimulation to help critically ill patients exercise and preserve muscular tone, which would otherwise deteriorate due to inactivity.

Pain Management: Patients with persistent pain can also benefit from electrical stimulation. This sort of therapy uses a different wavelength to target nerves in the body. This drug-free therapy works by inhibiting the function of pain receptors, which send messages of discomfort to the brain.

Athletic Training: Some trainers use electrical muscle stimulation to provide elite athletes a competitive advantage. It has been used to help players in a range of sports enhance strength, performance, and muscular reaction.

Types Of Electrical Muscle Stimulation

Physiotherapists and rehabilitation physicians use several types of electrical muscle stimulation methods when treating patients.

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a technique used in physiotherapy to accelerate recovery following injury or surgical operations. This type of EMS helps to restore muscular responsiveness and strength. The goal is to return to normal function and activities in less time. NMES can also be utilized to improve muscle conditioning in athletic and strength training regimens.

Russian Stimulation: In chiropractic and rehabilitation, Russian stimulation is used to improve muscular strength and function. It works by sending electrical pulses to promote muscle contractions, which can be very useful for muscle healing. It also rebuilds atrophied muscles and treats disorders such as scoliosis.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is a chiropractic pain management therapy that uses electrical pulses to activate nerves and relieve pain. Electrodes are applied to the skin around the painful location, and a TENS device delivers low-voltage electrical currents.

Interferential Current (IFC):

Interferential current is an electrical stimulation technique used in chiropractic care and other therapies to relieve pain and muscle spasms. IFC operates by using two alternating currents of different frequencies that interfere with one another to produce a beat frequency that stimulates nerves and muscles. This stimulation can help relieve pain, enhance circulation, and promote healing.

Iontophoresis: This type of electrical stimulation can also deliver drugs to the skin. It is used to reduce inflammation and swelling in specific areas, regulate scar tissue formation, and relax spasming muscles.

Conditions Treated With Electrical Muscle Stimulation  

In chiropractic and rehabilitation, electrical muscle stimulation can be used to treat the following problems.

• Chronic back pain

• Post-surgical discomfort

• Joint discomfort

• Arthritis

• Fibromyalgia

• Muscle injury due to trauma, disease, or surgery

• Nerve irritation

• Tendonitis

• Bursitis

• Stroke

• Spinal Cord Injury

• Muscle weakness or atrophy

• Loss of motor skills

• Difficulty swallowing

What Patients Should Expect With Electrical Muscle Stimulation

You may be skeptical of receiving EMS as part of your physiotherapy program. However, it sounds far more painful than it actually is. Therapy typically lasts 9 to 15 minutes. During therapy, you will most likely experience tingling and recurrent tensing of the muscles.

During your appointment, the chiropractor will apply small electrodes to the skin. The sticky electrode pads are placed around the area that will receive stimulation. Wires link the pads to the EMS device, which provides the electrical current needed.

Muscle Therapy: During this session, the therapist will adjust the intensity of the electrical current. Typically, this involves starting with a modest level of stimulation and progressively increasing the setting. In response, the targeted muscles contract with greater force. Your therapist may instruct you to perform a certain motion while the pulses are administered.

Nerve Therapy: Electrical stimulation therapy, often known as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, is a chiropractic technique that targets nerves to relieve pain and treat injuries. TENS, which uses low-voltage electrical currents, can block pain signals, stimulate endorphin production, and even cause muscular spasms to improve blood flow.

Wrapping Up

Electrical stimulation is a drug-free, safe, and effective method of promoting healing, relieving pain, and restoring muscular function. Whether you're healing from an injury or dealing with chronic pain, it's a valuable addition to your treatment routine. Moreover, a professional chiropractor in Port Orange can personalize EMS therapy to your specific needs, allowing you to feel better. So don’t delay. Reach out to your local chiropractor now!