Electrical stim, also known as E-stim, is a type of physical therapy that uses electrical current to stimulate the muscles. This treatment can help improve muscle strength, movement, and function.
E-stim is often used to treat conditions such as spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, and stroke. It can also be helpful for people who are recovering from surgery or an injury.
There are several different ways to administer E-stim. One common method is to use electrodes that are placed on the skin over the target muscles. The electrical current will then pass through the electrodes and stimulate the muscles.
Another way to administer E-stim is with a TENS unit. A TENS unit is a small device that passes a gentle current through electrodes on the skin. It causes a prickly tingling sensation and helps to reduce pain and reduce muscles spasticity.
People who are interested in trying E-stim should talk to their doctor or physical therapist for more information. They will work with the patient to determine which type of electrical stim is best based on their condition, treatment goals, and lifestyle.
For example, some people may use portable TENS units to help control chronic pain because it’s small enough to keep in your pocket or clips onto your belt. This device produces only gentle currents so there are no negative side effects.
On the other hand, if you need to increase muscle strength this may not be the best option since it only emits low-level current. In this case, electrodes applied directly to the skin would be recommended and used over targeted muscles for 15–20 minutes every day.
Larger E-Stim machines are often used in the therapy office at Bone and Joint Specialists of Winchester to help increase muscle strength, movement and function after surgery or injuries.