Physiotherapy is the treatment of disease, injury, or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather than by drugs or surgery. It helps rehabilitate a patient with some illness or those who have undergone surgery or have faced any injury that limit a person’s abilities to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives. Physiotherapy also helps patients to manage pain and prevent disease. Physical therapy or Physiotherapy is treatment for problems related to joints, muscles, or nerves, which needs exercises or massaging. What are the physiotherapy equipment used to perform these treatments and how do they help a patient recover? Read on…
Shortwave Diathermy
Shortwave diathermy machine is a medical equipment which is used for heating of the bodily tissues for medical purposes by using short wave radiation as the source of heat. It may be applied in pulsed or continuous energy waves. It has been used to treat pain from kidney stones, and pelvic inflammatory disease. It’s commonly used for conditions that cause pain and muscle spasms such as sprains.
Brands available are Lifewave 450, lifewave 300, Physiomed, Ibramed, BTL, Lifeline, Biotech India, EMS and others.
Ultrasound therapy unit
Ultrasound therapy Unit is also called as therapeutic ultrasound, also referred to as ultrasound therapy, is a treatment which is commonly used by physiotherapist, to promote healing of the tissue and for healing pain. Ultrasound therapy unit therefore is one of the most common physiotherapy equipment, often used for the treatment of chronic pain conditions and for the speedy healing. It is ultrasonic procedure which uses ultrasound for therapy use. Ultrasound therapy increases blood flow in the area on which it is treated, it reduces pain where there is swelling and it also gives gentle massage to the ligament on the treated area so that there should be no strain on the tissue.
Brands available are Lifesonic plus, Bharat Medical System, Gemi, Life Care System and others.
Wax Bath
Wax therapy, uses molten paraffin wax. Wax bath is one of the effective ways of applying heat for improving mobility by warming the tissues. Wax therapy is mainly used on hands. Paraffin wax therapy is safe. It should be taken care when home kits are used, wax should not be heated too much. It should be not be used on cuts and wounds.
Brands available are Dickson, Paratherapy, Therabath and others.
Interferential Therapy Unit/IFT machine
The basic principle of Interferential Therapy also called as IFT machine is to utilise the significant physiological effects of low frequency electrical stimulation of nerves without the associated painful and somewhat unpleasant side effects sometimes associated with low frequency stimulation. Now-a-Days, many ‘portable’ IFT machines have become easily available. Though the size is small the therapy delivered by those machines are proper. IFT machine is one of the most basic and sought after physiotherapy equipment for any set-up.
Brands available are Lifemed duo, Gemi, Cosmotech, Lifeline systems, Technomed and others.
Traction Unit
Traction is a therapeutic method to relieve pain by stretching the spine. Stretching the spine separates the vertebrae and helps to relieve nerve pressure and stress on the vertebral discs. Cervical traction is a common nonsurgical treatment for a herniated disc in the neck that relieves pain and reduce pressure on compressed nerve roots exiting the spinal canal. Traction can either be applied manually than for lower back pain or by spinal traction devices. Traction is more useful for neck conditions
Brands available are, Lifetrac XL, Gemi, Bharat Medical System and others.
Muscle Stimulation Therapy
Electric stimulation therapy is a treatment that applies electrical stimulation in treating muscle spasms and pain. It can help prevent atrophy and build strength in patients with injuries. The electrodes attached to the skin deliver impulses that make the muscles contract.
Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or electromyostimulation, is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses. The impulses are generated by a device and are delivered through electrodes on the skin near to the muscles being stimulated.
Brands available are Lifestim Plus and Lifestim XL, Gemi, HMS medical system, Bionics and others.
Continuous Passive Motion
Continuous Passive Motion Therapy is generally used after surgery and it gives several important benefits to patient like maintenance or improvement in the range of motion reduction in pain and discomfort.
These physiotherapy equipment are used for rehabilitation in first phase following a soft tissue surgical procedure or trauma. The aims of phase 1 rehabilitations are to control post-operative pain, reduce inflammation, provide passive motion in a specific plane of movement, and protect the healing repair or tissue. CPM is carried out by a device, which constantly moves the joint through a controlled range of motion.
Brands available are QAL Medical, Kinetec, Biotech India, BTL, Gemi and others.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (Tens)
A TENS machine is an electronic medical device. A TENS machine may assist you in short-term pain relief. In other terms a tens machine stimulates your nerves via an electrical current through your skin. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is the use of electric current produced by a device to stimulate the nerves for therapeutic purposes.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation machine uses the electric current which is produced by a device to stimulate the nerves for therapy. TENS, itself covers the complete range of transcutaneously applied currents used for nerve. Tens unit is usually connected to the skin using two or more electrodes. A typical battery-operated TENS unit is able to modulate pulse width, frequency and intensity.
Brands available are Lifetens Plus, United Surgical, Zimmer Medizin system, Biomedical, Astar Physio Technology, Beurer, Fysiomed, Ibramed and others.