What is interferential stimulation used for?

What is interferential stimulation used for?

Interferential current therapy (ICT, or sometimes IFC) is the most common type of electrical muscle stimulation used to treat chronic pain resulting from surgery, injury or trauma. The end goal for using ICT as part of a physical therapy or rehab program is to relieve pain and help patients heal faster.

How many times a day can you use electrotherapy?

You can begin with one 15-minute therapy session. Repeat for another 15 minutes if needed. Use up to three times per day at a maximum. During each therapy, rate your pain before and after the session, 1 (low) to 10 (high) in order to gauge the true reduction of pain.

Is interferential better than tens?

There was no statistically significant difference between the TENS and interferential current groups (P > 0.05); a difference was only found between these groups and the controls (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: There was no difference between TENS and interferential current for chronic low back pain treatment.

What is the difference between IFC and tens?

How Does IFC Differ From TENS? TENS delivers low-frequency current across the surface of the skin, while IFC delivers a higher frequency current that penetrates deeper into the tissue with less discomfort.

What is difference between IFT and tens?

Whereas TENS Units delivers periodic electric pulses to stimulate surface nerves and block the pain signal, IFT Physiotherapy Equipment transmits a continuous stimulation deep into the affected tissue thereby blocking the pain signals and reducing swelling and inflammation which causes pain.

How long should you use a muscle stimulator?

An electric stimulation treatment lasts about 5 or 15 minutes.

How high should I set my TENS unit Labour?

Setting the Pulse Rate (Frequency) Acute pain is usually most effective between 80 and 120 Hz. Chronic pain can also benefit from lower settings 2 to 10Hz that stimulates an endorphin release. A setting between 35 and 50Hz is commonly used to stimulate muscles for strengthening or even relaxation.

How does IFC decrease pain?

Interferential current (IFC) is a medium frequency electrical stimulation used for pain relief when targeting deep tissue. Two sinusoidal waves are crossed and interfere with each other, creating a third vector to stimulate a larger area.

Does interferential intravenous stimulation (IFT) work?

It has been suggested that IFT works in a ‘special way’ because it is ‘interferential’ as opposed to ‘normal’ stimulation. The evidence for this special effect is lacking and it is most likely that IFT is just another means by which peripheral nerves can be stimulated.

Are multifunction stimulators suitable for ‘proper’ interferential therapy?

Despite their size, they are perfectly capable of delivering ‘proper’ interferential therapy, though some have limited functionality and ability for the practitioner to ‘set’ all parameters. Most multifunction stimulators include all interferential modes, so the practitioner has several machine types to select from (examples below).

What is interferential (if) therapy?

Interferential (IF) therapy targets the nerves but is more intended for deep chronic pain where TENS is not effective. IF stimulates muscles in a wide variety of protocols and helps relieve deep tissue pain through penetration that can be adjusted to stimulate nerve fibers for increased blood flow.

What is an interferential unit?

Interferential Units. Interferential Stimulators Primarily used to manage deep chronic pain, Interferential current uses very high pulse rate, usually 4001 – 4150 pulses per second. This higher frequency goes through the skin and muscle better than TENS or other modalities, thus can be more effective in pain control.