I’m having physical therapy for my broken elbow, and today the therapist hooked me up to two electrodes and sent pulses through my arm, “to help blood flow and relax the muscles.” We also did some exercises.
So, is this just banana oil, or does this really do some good? Not the exercises, of course, the zapping.
Electrical stimulation is a well documented medical intervention. The TENS (transcutaneal electrical nerve stimulator) has been used to interfere with the nerve signals that transmit pain. That is used to lessen pain. Ultrasound has been used to enhance healing processes. I would trust your PT.
Oh, good, thanks. Just wanted to make sure he wasn’t trying any hippie-tree-huggin’-holistic crapola on me.
[Wonder if fridge magnets will stick to my arm now that I get metal in it?]
Magnetic therapy, OTOH, has not been proven. There is much controversey as to whether it works.
Oh, I wasn’t thinking of magnetic therapy—just thought I now might have a whole new jewelry option.
Was the PT also using the electrodes to stimulate muscle growth?
I’ve seen respectable physiotherapists use those to build muscles (e.g. when I ran a lot, the muscles on the inside of my leg were much weaker than the outside, causing knee alignment problems). However, the very similar looking “electro-stim” devices hawked in many infomercials (“Do the equivalent of 500 sit-ups in an hour…while watching TV!”) have been debunked on this board and elsewhere.
So what’s the Straight Dope? Do these electric muscle stimulators do anything?
No, he said he was just doing it to promote blood flow and relax the muscles before I exercised. I may have some nerve damage from the surgery and all the swelling, and I still can’t bend my elbow very far, or lift anything with that arm.
Eve,
They tried that on my back and it sent me into a two day fit of back spasms, so while it didn’t help me theraputically, it certainly had SOME effect on me.
I hope you’re feeling all better soon and can use that arm to beat small children with your parasol on the streets!
To go along with your magnetic personality?
Well, they did it on my ankle, too…also to increase circulation, which was a big issue at the time, as I’d been non-weight bearing for quite a long time. So if your therapist is a flake, he/she has lots of company.
Ditto here - I had it done on my forearm for chronic tendonitis. Certainly helped - each time it felt wonderful afterwards, and although there wasn’t a a “cure,” I no longer have the shooting pain in my elbow.
When I was in rehab, my PTs used it as well. I was too injured to do much in the early days so they electrically stimulated my muscles to reduce atrophy.
I had the pads hooked up to my neck, shoulders, and back following a car accident. The therapist said it was mainly to act as a relaxant as those muscles were very tight. It was used in conjunction with alternating cold/hot packs. It certainly felt good, like a strong massage, very effective at loosening all the knots.
I think the banana oil factor only comes in when someone tells you that the technology that is effective for therapy can be used to give yourself a complete workout while you sit on the couch scarfing Pringles.
Maybe, but this doesn’t seem to be anywhere near as cut & dried as you make it out to be. In this thread:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=142617
I posted a response to a similar question.
Based on what I’ve seen, “well documented” may be an overstatement.
I said “well documented medical intervention.” I did not say that its efficacy is well documented.
Well, he only does the electrical stuff for ten miutes, so as long as it doesn’t actually hurt . . . Most of the session, we do stretching exercises, which I also do 2x a day at home.
Elbow still aches like hell, but I expect it will for awhile. The damnbroken ribs hurt like a sonofabitch; v. difficult finding a comfortable sleeping position! I looked up “rib fractures” online, and found, “Rib fractures usually take four to six weeks to heal. Patients can expect a gradual decrease in pain over that time, but with a costochondral cartilage separation, recovery time can be as much as twice as long. Rib fractures cannot be put in casts, so management is a concern. The patient still needs to breathe, but this will add to the pain” (italics mine!).
Eve? you have me wondering… exactly what kind of metal do they use when they insert things into the human body?
anyone know?
Osip, titanium or stainless steel.
For what it’s worth, I was given a TENS unit when recovering from nerve damage. My leg felt like it was on fire until I used it.
Well alrighty then, Eve - the pain is within your control!
I’ve had the shock-box a few times for my shoulder, and it does help loosen up the muscles. (Aside to Osip and any other potential travellers: The replacement joint sets off the airport metal detectors at Vancouver, but no US airports I’ve been to. Strange!)
Eve, I had some broken ribs a few years back, and found that I could only sleep sitting up in a big armchair. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!