Electrostimulation

Electrostimulation
Electrostimulation is the use of electrical charge to treat muscle pain and spasms, but also in the treatment of psychiatric diseases and in lifesaving situations.

Reports of the therapeutic use of electrostimulation originate as early as 400 BC from contact with torpedo fish, which can produce electric shocks between 100 and 150 volts, where it was noted that electric shocks from them were able to reduce and control pain in painful parts of the body. As the understading in electrical shock and pain increased, notably in mid-1700, with the development of the Leyden jar, and in 1965, with the introduction of the gate control theory of pain, in 1967 scientists Wall and Sweets found clinical evidence who comproved the sucess of electrical nerve stimulation in relief of chronic pain.

Nowadays, with the therapeutic sucess of electrostimulation, it started to be used in rehabilitive therapies, notably in rehabilitating injured or diseased muscle and other soft-tissue conditions.

Theory
The major therapeutic uses derive from muscle contraction or sensory stimulation or a combination of both.

The nerve and muscles are both excitable, which is dependent on permeability of the cell membrane. This happens since it regulates the interchange of substances from inside and outside the cells.

This cell permeability is voltage-sensitive, which will produce an unequal distribution of charged ions on either side of the cell membrane. Consequently, there will be a difference of electrical charge between the interior and exterior sides of the cell. When the action potential occurs, sodium channels open, allowing sodium ions to enter the cell membrane. This process, where it is generated a positive charge within the cell, is called depolarization. After this process, repolarization occurs, where nearby sodium channels close and potassium channels open, hence allowing potassium ions to leave the cell. The impulse within the cell as it balances the concentrations of charged between the exterior and interior through active transport.

As referenced previously, electrostimulation has several therapeutic uses, ranging from treatment os muscle pain and spasms to treatment of psychiatric diseases.

Moderate hyperthermia therapy usually takes 1 hour, where the patient is subjected to 45ºC, and can be applied to the tumour itself (local hyperthermia), to an entire limb or organ (regional hyperthermia) or to the whole body (whole-body hyperthermia).
 * Temporary Cardiac Stimulation: Temporary cardiac stimulation involves electric cardiac stimulation to treat a tachyarrhythmia or bradyarrhythmia until it is solved or until the long-term therapy can be applied. It involves the introduction of a stimulating electrode (by catheterization) into the ventricle. The main function of this is the reestablishment of circulatory integrity which is affected by irregular heart rates.
 * Permanent Cardiac Stimulation: This type of therapy involves the use of stimulators, such as pacemakers, with fixed frequencies to stimulate heart beating. Is mostly used when there is signs that the heart is not beating fast enough or might be a problem with the heart's natural pacemaker.
 * Heart defibrillation: Is a type of treatment for life-threatening situations, such as ventricle fibrillation.The defibrillator delivers a therapeutic dose of electric charge, allowing the heart's pacemaker to reestablish the normal cardiac rate.
 * Electroshock Therapy: This involves the use of electrostimulation to induce convulsions on the patient in order to treat psychiatric diseases, such as severe depression or cases of mania and catatonia. Is done by attaching tong-electrodes on the patient's damp temples and has a duration of 15 seconds.
 * Hyperthermia: This therapy involves subjecting body tissue to slightly higher temperatures to damage and kill tumour therapies. As tumour cells have a disorganized and compact vascular structure, they will have difficulties to dissipate heat. Hence, this heating will cause denaturation and coagulation of cellular proteins, rapidly killing cells within the tumour. Is considered to be a supporting treatment to conventional treatment and is only sucessful to certain cancer types.
 * High frequency therapy: Is a method of heating tissue by using high frequency electromagnetic for muscle relaxation and wash away of metabolic products. This can be used in three forms:
 * Short-wave diathermy: