Electric Stimulation Flashcards by Eric Johnson

What is the numerical fraction of a milliamp? Microamp?

1/1,000 for milliamp

1/1,000,000 microamp

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What is electricity?

Electrons flowing between an anode and a cathode

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Intensity, voltage, and resistance are measured with what units?

Milliamps
Volts
Ohms

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What is Olms law?

Intensity = voltage/resistance

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Definition of voltage

Driving force, potential difference between anode and cathode

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How does voltage affect electric stimulation

Makes stim stronger or weaker

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As voltage increases what happens to intensity

Intensity increases

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As resistance increases what happens to intensity?

Intensity decreases

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What is a constant current stimulator machine?

Machines that automatically increase current when resistance is met

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Direct current
How often does it flow?
How many directions does it flow?
How long is the pulse width, how many seconds?

Flows continuously
One direction
Long pulse duration > 1 sec.

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When is direct current used?

During iontophoresis and stim of denervated muscle.

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Alternating current
How often does it flow?
How many directions does it flow?
How long is the pulse width, how many seconds?

Flows continuously
two directions
shorter pulse width (duration) of milliseconds

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Pulsatile current
How often does it flow?
How many directions does it flow?
How long is the pulse width, how many seconds?

Non-continuous
1 (monophasic) direction or 2 (biphasic) directions
Very short width, Shortest pulse duration of microseconds

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Asymmetric biphasic pulsative goes in what direction?

Go more in one direction than the other

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Pulse intensity (amplitude) measures what?
How does it affect the stim?
How is it measured?

Height of the pulse
dictates weak or strong stim
measured in milliamps

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Pulse frequency (rate) measures what?
How does it affect the stim?
How is it measured?

Number of pulses/sec.
Tetanic sustained contraction (motor stim)
Measured in hertz

Pulse width (duration) measures what?
How does it affect the stim?
How is it measured?

Amount of time from beginning of pulse to end of pulse
The more wider the width the stronger the stim
Measured in microseconds

What is modulation “continuous” used for?

Pain or healing

Most times we are trying to polarize or depolarize peripheral nerves?
What causes a repolarization? Depolarization?

Depolarize

When a muscle twitches what is being stimulated?

The NERVE not the muscle fibers themselves

Name two factors which dictate excitability

Diameter of nerve

Degree of mylination

What is the correct order of nerve recruitment?

Sensory > motor > pain

What are the 3 factors required for depolarization?

Intensity, width, and speed of rise

As stim duration increases what happens to the intensity?
What must happen to the width (duration) in order to attain BETTER fiber discrimination?
As widths become more narrow do we need more or less intensity?

Goes down
Widths must become more narrow (decrease)
More

During non-neural responses the only positive reactions include...

Fibroblasts and myofibroblasts

For edema one would want what kind of intensity?

Low

If one electrode has a larger surface area than the other which one will be less powerful (dispersive)? If trying to stimulate a larger musle is bipolar or unipolar better to use?

The larger pad is less intense | Bipolar

What is a good technique to use for stimulating a small intrinsic muscle like the intrinsic thumb muscles?

Put a small pad on the thumb, larger dispersive pad on forearm.

What type of polarity and voltage is good to use for wound healing?

Unipolar with a high voltage

What kind of stim is good to use for muscle building?

Russian, strong motor stim.

What type of phasic current is used for pain or paralysis?

Biphasic

What type of current should be used for muscle soreness or to mobilize edema?

Microcurrent, sub sensory

What type of waveform should be used for peripheral nerve lesions?

DC Iontophoresis

9 contraindications for E-stim

—Motor stimulation over recently torn or sutured muscle, tendon, ligament, muscle, skin, —-Motor stimulation over an area of a suspected blood clot or an unhealed fracture —-Over implantable electronic devices (pacemaker, cardioverter defibrillator) —-Over the carotid sinus —-Over active cancerous tissue —-Over open wounds and skin lesions —-Over the uterine area during pregnancy —-Directly over the heart in individuals with cardiac disease —-In the area of the head in individuals with epilepsy

What is ramp?

How quickly stim goes to peak intensity | (.5 shorter, 2 longer) for sensory .5 is ok.

How could you get a person to have a tetanic reaction? | 2 settings

Increase the pulse frequency (rate) to about 50 | Make the width a little wider, about 300 for stronger overall stim