What are the Benefits?
There are many benefits to this kind of therapy. To start, it can help reduce edema (swelling) and expedite the healing process of injured or damaged tissue. Electric muscle stimulation can also help reduce chronic pain.
Electrical Stimulation
Our therapists use a variety of treatment modalities, including electrical stimulation, to achieve patient goals. Applying an electrical current is supposed to strengthen muscles, suppress pain signals, and enhance blood flow. Your physical therapist might incorporate electrical stimulation, also known as e-stim, into your treatment plan if you have an injury or disease that makes it difficult for you to move around or causes you discomfort.
What Is It?
E-stim uses electrical pulses to mimic the action of signals coming from neurons (cells in your nervous system). These mild electrical currents target either muscles or nerves. E-stim therapy for muscle recovery sends signals to targeted muscles to make them contract. (Flexing your biceps is a form of muscle contraction.) By causing repeated muscle contractions, blood flow improves, helping repair injured muscles.