{"id":10976,"date":"2021-06-04T12:34:08","date_gmt":"2021-06-04T10:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itechmedicaldivision.com\/?p=10976"},"modified":"2021-06-04T12:38:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-04T10:38:00","slug":"diathermy-physiological-effects-of-medium-frequency-current","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itechmedicaldivision.com\/en\/diathermy-physiological-effects-of-medium-frequency-current\/","title":{"rendered":"Diathermy – Physiological effects of medium-frequency current"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Thermal effect<\/h2>

The most evident effect of tecar therapy or diathermy (which we will consider synonyms) is the increase in temperature in the tissues crossed by the electric current<\/strong>. This increase depends on the intensity of the current and on the specific electrical resistance of each tissue.<\/p>

When using medium frequency diathermic currents (between 300 KHz and 800 KHz), it should always be remembered that every body tissue has a specific electrical resistance.<\/p>

By applying the passive plate in contact with the skin and the isolated active electrode (usually covered with black paint), a capacitive heating effect is obtained, due to the action of electric condensation. The end result is the generation of an electromotive force that acts at a cellular level producing various effects, including the aforementioned temperature increase.<\/p>

When an area of the body increases in temperature, the neurovegetative system detects it and sets in motion an increase in blood circulation, precisely in that area, in order to restore thermal equilibrium.<\/p>

In turn, the increase in circulation produces a series of positive effects on the tissue being treated, including:<\/p>

  • an increase in oxygenation<\/li>
  • a decrease in the amount of carbon dioxide<\/li>
  • an elimination of toxins<\/li>
  • a greater supply of nutrients<\/li><\/ul>

    Finally, the body will set in motion a heat dispersion process in the surrounding tissues.<\/p>

    In general, a higher thermal sensation is observed in areas of the body with a higher water content<\/strong>. Therefore, in areas that have more blood circulation and with greater hydration, the increase in temperature is greater than in areas with less blood circulation and lower water content.<\/p>

    In areas where bone tissue is very superficial, the thermal sensation could be perceived as higher because, being a tissue with less blood-circulation, the cooling process becomes more difficult.<\/p>

    This type of deep thermotherapy application recalls the natural mechanism of a fever, so with tecar therapy it is possible to achieve all the localised therapeutic benefits of a feverish state, without suffering any of its negative effects<\/strong>.<\/p>

    In an attempt to provoke this sort of “local febrile state”, it is always necessary to avoid any sweating at the passive plate or under the active electrode, by asking the patient to let you know if the temperature is starting to become uncomfortable. Excessive heat carries the risk of producing paradoxical vasoconstriction, with results different from those hoped for.<\/p>

    It is always necessary to adjust the duration of treatment based on the therapeutic objective to be attained, the patient’s perceptions and the observable responses in the treated tissues.<\/p>

    In the case of acute conditions, the duration of the sessions will be long and low intensities will be used, so that the patient feels a temperature increase just above the perception threshold. Therefore, treatment should not be performed in the case of hyposensitive patients<\/strong> (low sensitivity).<\/p>

    The intensity described in the previous paragraph refers to level I<\/strong> of heat perception, which is associated with application times ranging from 40 to 50 minutes<\/strong>.<\/p>

    Level II<\/strong>, on the other hand, implies a light thermal sensation, with application times ranging from 25 to 35 minutes<\/strong>.<\/p>

    Level III<\/strong> involves more intense heating, but still bearable, with an application time of 15-20 minutes<\/strong>.<\/p>

    Finally, level IV <\/strong>produces an extremely intense thermal sensation that will generate paradoxical vasoconstriction and sweating in just a few minutes. In this case you should not apply for longer than 10 minutes and you must stop treatment if the patient tells you the heat is uncomfortable<\/strong>.<\/p>

    Action on the circulatory system<\/h2>

    The heat generated by diathermy decreases blood vessel tone, dilating them and increasing blood flow in the treated tissues (hyperaemia). At the same time, local lymphatic circulation also increases.<\/p>

    Considering the temperature increase on the surface of the blood vessels and consequent dilatation, diathermy should produce hypotension. Despite this, it appears that diathermy produces an effect of normalising blood pressure<\/strong>, raising it slightly in hypotensive people and lowering it slightly in hypertensive subjects.<\/p>

    Particular attention should be paid to the possible effects of hyperthermia on patients with circulatory system disorders, monitoring the pressure before and after treatment and, if necessary, also during application.<\/p>

    During the treatment it is possible to observe an increase in the respiratory rhythm and the heart rate<\/strong>, especially in the case of treatments with high intensity and long application times.<\/p>

    Analgesic effect<\/h2>

    The high capacitive frequency produces a powerful analgesic action that often manifests immediately during treatment or a few minutes later<\/strong>.<\/p>

    The heat generated always has a calming effect, if the treatment is not too short or of low intensity. By increasing the temperature of the nerves, heat inhibits part of the nerve fibres that lead to pain stimulation. By obstructing the nerve signal transmission, a reduction in the pain perception is achieved.<\/p>

    However, the heat is not the only thing responsible for the analgesic effect<\/strong> and this is demonstrated by the fact that often the patient communicates a very significant decrease in pain, even if you work with low intensity maintained over time.<\/p>

    The second cause of diathermy’s analgesic action is the electromagnetic effect<\/strong>.<\/p>

    Heat, the electromagnetic field and the passage of electric charges form the set of elements that bring about diathermy’s analgesic effect and allow you to handle the pain of the patient, being able, in some cases, to relax deep muscles which are normally impossible to reach.<\/p>

    “Sporty” effect<\/h2>

    This complex set of effects attributed to diathermy (or tecar therapy) offers a range of highly effective applications in sports medicine favouring a much faster recovery after training, reducing the levels of lactic acid build-up in the muscles and allowing the athlete to withstand above-average levels of training and competition.<\/p>

    Tecar therapy is, therefore, a very important tool for recovery<\/strong> and should always be included in the technologies used by top athletes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Thermal effect The most evident effect of tecar therapy or diathermy (which we will consider synonyms) is the increase in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9082,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reserved-news","col-lg-4 col-md-6"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itechmedicaldivision.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itechmedicaldivision.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itechmedicaldivision.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itechmedicaldivision.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itechmedicaldivision.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/itechmedicaldivision.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itechmedicaldivision.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itechmedicaldivision.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itechmedicaldivision.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itechmedicaldivision.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}