i am undergoing physical therapy on my shoulder to avoid surgery after an ignorant lady cut me off on my motorcycle. anyways, what is the point of putting low intensity electric stimulation on my shoulder at the same time as ice? they tell me the ES helps to relax the muscle when it’s set to low intensity.
you would think that these two things are clashing, ice giving a chance for the swelling to drip out of the area, and ES to create heat and blood flow, even at low intensities. aren’t these two therapeutic things done simlutaneously counterproductive?
by the way, the therapy is definately working so it must not be that bad, but i am just curious. thanks.
There could be lots of reasons. I am not a physical therapist but my WAG would be that the ice is to reduce any potential swelling the electric stimulation may cause or any residual swelling that may be there.
oh yeah, to be a specific as possible, i can’t even feel the ES once the ice cools the area. the ES is fairly strong when they first start it and would probably have my arm jumping after 5-10 mintues, but the ice subsides the ES to the point where i cannot even feel the tingling and certainly no induced muscle spasms.
what the point then? actually, come to think of it, my shoulder is not as cold after words when the add the ES. maybe that’s what dorkus was saying…
what is the overall goal of these two things together i guess i am asking? also, my therapist does this after the session and i leave immediately after the ice/ES.
doesn’t the ice keep the ES from having any effect at all on my body, isnce i can’t feel it and there is no contractions of the muscle?
Ice doesn’t give a chance for the “swelling to drip out.” It slows diffusion and movement of cells, so it decreases swelling. It also numbs. It may be to keep the ES from causing swelling or maybe just to make if easier to take.
ES is poorly understood with few (if any) well designed and controlled studies to support it. There are a number of theories about how it is supposed to work and I suppose it depends on what type of damage you have as to why they are doing it.
Some things I’ve come across, though-
Eases pain- maybe through depletion of neural pre-synaptic neurotransmitters.
Prevents atrophy of muscle- through inducing contractions in the muscles.
Increase rate of superficial wound healing- mechanism unknown. This requires a field with constant direction.
Loosens stiff joints (IIRC) and I forget how.
YMMV
I’m undergoing ES on my back as result of whiplash.
It should NOT be painful, nor should it be strong enough to make your muscles jump. You should feel a little fluttering tingle, but no pain. If it’s painful, or jerking, they’ve either got the machine turned up too high, or they’re doing it incorrectly. The highest setting my machine has ever been tuned to is 10, and I’ve been undergoing therapy for almost three months. The intensity varies as the machine is on, waving between 7 and ten. My sessions usually last for about 20 minutes, and I a cold pack on my neck, and on my back. The cold pack should not be “icy.” It should be wrapped in a towel to avoid a frostbite like sensation.
When the machine is tuned properly, your muscles are contracting slightly, just little flutters. You may feel a little butterfly-like tingle, but that’s all. Your muscles will not be heavily contracting. The tiny motions are enough stimulus.
The purpose of using the cold pack at the same time is to soothe the muscles that are being stimulated, to keep them from swelling from the movement. People tend to try to “baby” hurt muscles, and they can lose a lot of their strength. The ES causes them to gently contract, just as if you were working out, and the cold keeps them from swelling as a result of unaccustomed motion. The cold pack does not affect the effacacy of the ES in any way, just reduces the chances of pain afterwards. Because of the slight numbing, you may not be feeling the tingles.
The point of ES is to gently stimulate muscles that you’re not using normally. The same thing is done for people who are paralyzed to keep the muscles from atrophying.
