Electrical Stimulation Flashcards
What are the physiological effects of electrical stimulation?
1 decrease pain 2 decrease muscle spasm 3 reduce edema 4 stimulate exercise by muscle contraction 5 stimulate healing
By what concept does electrical stimulation decrease overall pain?
Gate-Control theory/endorphin release
What is the gate control theory and how does it work?
Theory that explains how non-painful input closes the “gates” to painful input, therefore preventing pain sensation from traveling to the CNS.
What 3 things are required for electricity to work?
1 source of electrons
2 driving force
3 path (conductor)
What is the river analogy in terms of electricity?
Electrons = drops of water in a river
Current (Amp) = flow of the river
Voltage = waterfall
Resistance = water flow through hose
Is there more or less resistance with a short smooth large diameter hose/wire?
Least
What does the term capacitance mean?
ability of a material to store a charge (to release later)
What is Ohm’s Law?
V = IR
What is another name for a monophasic current?
Direct current (DC) or Galvanic
What type of current has current flow in one direction?
Monophasic/direct current (Galvanic)
What is another name for a biphasic current?
Alternating current
What type of current has an electron flow that changes directions regularly?
Biphasic current/alternating current
Which type of wave form has the same shape in both phases? Different shapes?
Symmetrical = same shapes Asymmetrical = different shapes positive and negative
What are the shape variations possible with a biphasic current?
Sinusoidal, square, rectangular, triangular
What is the term for the time it takes the current to leave the isoelectric line to when it returns to that line?
Phase duration
In what type of current are the phase duration and pulse duration the same?
Monophasic
What type of current has two phase duration for each pulse?
Biphasic current
Do tissues respond to phase duration or pulse duration?
Phase duration
The phase duration must be how long (in general) to cause an action potential?
Long enough to overcome capacitance
Do small or large diameter nerves have low capacitance and therefor reach threshold quickly?
Large diameter
What is the space called in between each pulse duration?
InterPulse duration
What is the term used to describe the intensity or magnitude of the current?
Amplitude
Which fibers are close to the skin and have a lower threshold, so they are stimulated first?
A-beta
Which response is elicited first: sensory or motor?
Sensory
What is the term for the amount of current supplied over a period of time?
Average current
Why can too high average current be an issue?
Can cause tissue damage