Not only does electrotherapy minimise or abolish your symptoms, it gets to the root of the problem and treats the cause. This means that better treatment results are achieved and reoccurrences are less likely.

Using different types of electrical currents these forms of treatments are pain free and non-invasive. Electrotherapy helps to stimulate the body’s own healing abilities as well as interrupting pain messages before they reach the brain and resulting in a release of endorphins and opiates – the natural pain killers.

Electrotherapy can work in isolation or serve as an indispensable adjunct to other Physiotherapy modalities. It is commonly used in the treatment of pain and inflammation, such as mastitis treatment and treatments for sports injuries, back and neck pain, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, plantar fasciitis and many more.

Electrotherapy can be used on its own as a natural therapy or in combination with anti-inflammatory or other medication. There are a number of different electrotherapy treatments available at our clinic, please see below for details on each one and feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

See our articles and blog posts on the following topics:

Combining Electrotherapy and Clinical Pilates

Electrotherapy for Scoliosis

Electrotherapy for Treatment of Urinary Incontinence

Electrotherapy - The Health Point Difference

At Health Point Physiotherapy, we aim not for short term results, such as reducing your pain, but for long term benefits. As part of the treatment you will get a free home exercise program tailored to your specific needs. This will make sure that the benefits obtained through electrotherapy will be maintained.

Electrostimulation

Use of electrical currents to stimulate muscles and other systems of the body. Often used to improve muscle strength and tone, in the treatment various diseases as well as for cosmetic purposes.

Indications:

• prevention of muscle atrophy and thrombosis after long periods of immobilization; post stroke rehabilitation
• post stroke rehabilitation
• poor bowel, gall bladder and bladder function
• obesity

Interferential

Inteferential therapy uses electrodes placed at specific sites of the body to deliver a set amount of electricity to the area in order to disturb pain messages before they reach the brain. It also leads to the release of endorphins and opiates – the natural pain killers and feel good hormones. Often this may feel like pins and needles underneath the electrodes, but should never be painful.

Indications:

• neck, back and joint pain
• osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
• joint stiffness and contractures
• tennis and golfer’s elbow (lateral and medial epicondylitis)
• incontinence
• irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia
• pelvic inflammatory disease

Ultrasound

Specifically for treatment (different to the diagnostic ultrasound machines which are used for imaging). Does not use electrical currents so the most you will feel is some light warmth over the treatment area. As its’ name suggests ultrasound uses different sound waves to help heal the injured area. Can be used as a standalone treatment but often performed in conjunction with interferential.

Indications:

• neck, back and joint pain
• osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
• tennis and golfer’s elbow (lateral and medial epicondylitis)
• plantar fasciitis
• tendinopathies
• mastitis

Magnetotherapy

Therapeutic effect through creation of a magnetic flux. Does not use electrical currents so all that you will feel is a mild warmth over the area which is being treated. Often used in combination with interferential.

Indications:

• neck, back and joint pain
• joint stiffness and contractures
• bone fractures - even before plaster is removed
• pelvic inflammatory disease

Feedback

Treatment success for lower back pain

"I arrived at Health Point with severe lower back pain. I was assessed and a suitable treatment program was suggested to me. This included some sessions of Electrotherapy and Ultrasound. I am now pain free and the Physiotherapists are now working on increasing my core strength to maintain a healthy body." – Gloria Berriman, 17 June 2011