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Get Zapped – The Electrotherapy Option for Back Pain
It is a known fact that one of the most intense treatments in the past for back pain was by the use of electricity. This procedure was known as electrotherapy. This common practice has been going on for over 100 years, and actually is still practiced to this day. Whatever the cause of this method, and when it actually started is really of no concern, considering the fact that it actually does work to relieve chronic and acute back pain in the sufferers.
There was a time, however, that this practice was not well accepted, as a matter of fact it was more shunned upon than anything. This is due to the belief that it was a cruel method that seemed more worthy of a punishment rather than a medical treatment. There are constant debates on the actual benefits of this treatment, as well as the reason why it seems to be a successful treatment. It is thought that the transmission of pain is blocked by the electrical stimulation, and it helps to release the natural chemical in the body known as Endorphins. This natural chemical is a method of relieving pain, and is fou7nd in every person living. To date there are many different methods of this type of treatment, and each one has its own levels of frequency. There are different levels of waveforms, IFC’s, GS’s, and TENS. They are all intended to place electrical stimulation to muscles and nerves.
The release of this electrical stimulation is done through the use of small adhesive pads that are placed on the affected area. Many times these pads have a battery operating them, other times they are operated by an outlet electrical source. It is said that this type of treatment rarely has any side effects however there has been cases of skin irritations that can be found where the pads were placed. This is due to the electrical charge that is placed on the site. There are some very important things to remember when you are going through one of these procedures. If you have a poor heart, or you have a pacemaker, it is not a good idea to have this practice. This can easily cause cardiac arrhythmia. If you happen to be pregnant, this treatment is not a good idea, as it can damage the fetus or give the child major complications later in life. Placing the electro pads over your throat is also a very unadvisable thing, as it will lower your blood pressure. These are not the only health risks that can be applied to this treatment, placing it over infections or malignancies can be a very ill advised move as well. For these reasons many people are very concerned with this form of treatment, and shy away from it even though it could be a great benefit to their pain treatment itself.
There are now treatments that may be self-applied at home, they are very small in scale and are roughly the size of a package of cigarettes. This machine is very small and convenient and is relatively cheap to purchase. The base price of one of these machines runs approximately $250- $800 dollars. All of the units that are available on the market today allow for the adjustment of stimulation and intensity. Some now even allow for different frequency responses. The new products that allow for the adjustment in frequency is more often called conventional, and the stimulation can actually be tolerated for several hours at a time. The problem with this is that once the body has reached a limit there will not be any more relief from the pain. The older method of the electrotherapy is far less tolerable running approximately 20-30 minutes at a time, however the pain relief lasts much longer. This is a much more powerful machine, and it has a way of ensuring that all the nerves in the affected area are covered. This is where there is a good coverage of the pain and the stimulation is at an even rate making for a more complete rejuvenation of the surrounding muscles. If you feel you could benefit from this type of treatment, try asking your doctor about the pros and cons of it and see what they feel could be best for you.
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