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 Neuromuscular stimulators for stimulate the paralysised nerve. The term has also been applied specifically to the use of electrical 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.
The use of electrotherapy has been researched and accepted in the field of rehabilitation (electrical muscle stimulation). The American Physical Therapy Association acknowledges the use of Electrotherapy for:
1. Pain management
*Improves range of joint movement
2. Treatment of neuromuscular dysfunction
* Improvement of strength
* Improvement of motor control
* Retards muscle atrophy
* Improves local blood flow
3. Improves range of joint mobility
* Induces repeated stretching of contracted, shortened soft tissues
4. Tissue repair
* Enhances microcirculation and protein synthesis to heal wounds
* Restores integrity of connective and dermal tissues
5. Acute and chronic edema
* Accelerates absorption rate
* Affects blood vessel permeability
* Increases mobility of proteins, blood cells and lymphatic flow
6. Peripheral blood flow
* Induces arterial, venous and lymphatic flow
7. Iontophoresis
* Delivery of pharmacological agents
8. Urine and fecal incontinence
* Affects pelvic floor musculature to reduce pelvic pain and strengthen musculature
* Treatment may lead to complete continence
Electrotherapy is used 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, post-traumatic acute pain, post surgical acute pain, immediate post-surgical stimulation of muscles to prevent venous thrombosis, wound healing and drug delivery.