Exam 1 Flashcards
Tissue temp. rise of Thermotherapy
1: Increases metabolic rate
2-3: Reduces muscle spasm and pain, increases blood flow
4 or more: Increases the collagen extensibility
Hot Pock - Superficial Thermotherapy
- Hydrocollator: 160 to 165 degrees F
- immersed for at least 30 minutes before usage
- Recommended treatment duration: 20 minutes
- Never applied directly over skin
- 6 to 8 layers of toweling between the pack and skin
- check on the patient every 5 minutes
Paraffin Bath - Superficial Thermotherapy
- Paraffin bath: 124 - 130 degrees F
- Check the temperature of the bath first
- use the wax as an exercise tool immediately post tx
- wrap for 15 to 20 minutes
- Immersed hand should not touch the sides and the bottom of the paraffin bath
General Indications for Superficial Thermotherapy
- Pain control
- Increase ROM and decrease joint stiffness
- Accelerate healing
Contraindications for Superficial Thermotherapy
- Large Areas in pregnant women
- suspected malignancy
- tuberculosis
- active DVT or thrombophlebitis
- impaired sensation
- bleeding tissue with untreated hemorrhagic
- recently radiated tissues
- large areas in people with cardiac disease
- cognition or communication impairments
- impaired circulation
location of eczema - edema
- reproductive organs
Precautions for Superficial Thermotherapy
- Areas near or over eyes
- anterior neck and carotid sinus
- pregnant women
- people with cardiac failures
Safe for superficial Thermotherapy
- intact skin with metal, plastic, or cement implants
- areas over electronic devices
- areas near chronic wounds
- superficial or regenerating nerves
- head, chest, or heart
- areas over active epiphysis
- persons with hypertension
Safe practice for superficial thermotherapy
- risk of burn increases with the amount of subcutaneous fat
- should not lie on top of hot packs, can compromise the vasodilatation response
Clinical Signs of Tissue Temperature Rise
- Erythema (reddness)
- Blisters, mottling
- Pupil dilation
- Decrease in BP
- Increase in HR
*STOP thermotherapy if BP drops 15-20 mmHG
Treatment parameters of Thermotherapy
- Intensity
- Duration
- Coupling medium
*change in skin appearance
Conventional US in PT
- Frequency: 1-3 MHz
- Intensity: 0.1 - 3 W/cm2
- Usage: soft tissue pathology
*1 MHz: 2-5 cm beneath the skin
* 3 or 3.3 MHz: within 1-2 cm of skin
Duty Cycle for Pulse US
- Proportion of time that US is on during a single pulse period, in a percentage or a ratio
ERA
- Effective radiating area, area of the crystal
- Always smaller than the sound head surface
Strength & Intensity of US wave
- Strength: Acoustic power produced by the crystal (W)
- Intensity: Power per unit area of the crystal (W/cm2)
Spatial peak Intensity vs. Spatial Average Intensity
- Spatial Peak Intensity: Peak Intensity of the US output over the ERA
- Spatial Average Intensity: average intensity of the US output across the ERA
Beam Nonuniformity Ratio (BNR)
- ratio of spatial peak intensity to spatial average intensity
- 5:1 and 6:1 usually
- the lower the ratio, the more uniform the output
Spatial Peak Intensities of () have been shown the damage tissue
8 W/cm2
How to minimize the potential of creating standing waves?
- continue to move the head
- hold the soundhead perpendicular
General Indications for Conventional US - Thermal
- Deeping Heating modality
- Joint contracture and scar tissue
- Subacute and chronic soft-tissue inflammation
General Indications for Conventional US- Nonthermal
- To facilitate healing
- Acute injury or inflammation of soft tissue
General Guidelines for Applying US
- warmth within 2-3 minutes
- preferably 2-3 X ERA