At the end of each therapy session I get hooked up to a machine and get Electrical Stimulation Therapy. What is E-stim you ask? Electrical stimulation units use an electrical current to simulate the same electrical impulses that are activated during normal exercise. By passively activating the muscle, the body responds in much the same way as during normal exercise. By placing a pair of electrodes (or 4 in my case) on the target muscle or muscle group, the unit can send electrical impulses through the skin to underlying nerves, stimulating the contraction and relaxation of the muscle in a rhythm similar to daily exercise. Electrical Stimulation can be used for two primary functions; strength training and muscle tone or pain control.
So basically E-stim is a nice pulsating massage on the muscles that were just stretched to hell by exercises and stretching by my physical therapist. Combine this with a nice ice pack on the shoulder and it is a nice relaxing way to end a productive therapy session.
No comments:
Post a Comment