Electrical therapy is a disease treatment method that utilizes electrical stimulation. This therapy is quite often used to treat several types of neurological and psychiatric diseases. Some methods of electrical therapy can be done at home as recommended by a doctor or through surgery.
Electrical therapy to treat pain has been used since ancient times, namely by utilizing electric shocks from fish. Along with the development of technology, precisely since the mid-18th century until now, electrical therapy has used special machines and increasingly sophisticated equipment.
Various Benefits of Electrical Therapy for Health
Electrical therapy is quite widely used as a method of treating neurological diseases and several kinds of psychiatric disorders.
Nervous disease itself can be recognized by the appearance of various symptoms, such as headaches, tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, paralysis, and pain in certain body parts such as lower or upper back pain.
In the treatment of neurological diseases, electrical therapy works by sending electrical signals and stimulating the disturbed nerves so that these nerves can function normally again.
Meanwhile, in people with psychiatric disorders, electrical therapy serves to stimulate the damaged or disturbed parts of the brain nerves so that they can function properly again.
Electrical therapy is usually used to treat several types of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD, major depression, bipolar disorder, and psychiatric disorders that do not improve with medication and psychotherapy.
Different Types of Electrical Therapy
There are several types of electrical therapy that are often used as a treatment for various diseases, including:
1. Transcutaneouselectrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
TENS is a type of electrical therapy that uses a battery-powered machine with low voltage or voltage to relieve pain. This small machine can deliver electrical signals through 2 electrodes placed on nerves in the skin or body parts that are the source of pain.
This method is most often used to treat joint pain or arthritis, pain during menstruation, knee pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia, and lower back pain. In certain cases, TENS is also used to relieve pain during labor.
TENS works by blocking the transmission or pain impulses from the problematic nerves to the brain, so that pain can be reduced. In addition, this electrical therapy is also thought to stimulate the brain's nerves to produce natural pain-reducing hormones or endorphins that can inhibit the perception of pain.
2. Percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS) or electroacupuncture
This electric therapy method combines traditional Eastern medical techniques and Western medical technology. PENS uses a small instrument that resembles an acupuncture needle to deliver electricity. This technique can also be combined with acupuncture treatment.
Several studies have shown that electrical therapy using the PENS method can relieve pain, improve sleep quality, and help people with neurological disorders and knee pain to perform physical activities.
However, until now, the effectiveness of PENS electrical therapy as a treatment for neurological disorders has not shown consistent results and still needs to be investigated further.
3. Deep brain stimulation (DBS)
This therapy is a method of electrical therapy that requires surgery. This method of electrical therapy is done by attaching electrodes to the brain that serves to send electricity to the nerves of the brain through a special machine.
This method was originally used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. However, now DBS is also used to treat various psychological disorders, such as depression and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
4. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (RTMS)
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation utilizes electromagnetic waves to send electrical signals to inhibit pain or tenderness. However, this method generally needs to be done more than once to get maximum results.
Electrical therapy is also commonly used as part of physical rehabilitation or physiotherapy methods. Electrical therapy equipment is widely sold freely. However, avoid using these tools to relieve pain without consulting your doctor first.
Although it can provide benefits for some people with certain conditions, so far further research is still needed to determine the potential of electrical therapy in the treatment of neurological diseases.