foundations- final Flashcards
early E stim research lead to 3 main areas:
electrotherapy to treat disease
electrodiagnosis (interpreting the response of nerve and mm to stim)
EMG- electromyography measuring the activity of MU
EMS
electrical muscle stimulation (done to maintain muscle viability)
NMES
neuromuscular electrical stimulation (stimulating innervated mm to restore function. includes strengthening and muscle re-education)
FES
functional electrical stimulation (often used interchangeably with NMES) includes pacemakers, orthotic stim, brain stim for function
TENS
transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (pain management through skin electrodes)
IFC
interferential current (4 electrodes, used for pain. 2 currents, interfering)
10 basic facts on atoms and shit.
- atoms are electrically neutral
- positive charge of the proton in the nucleus is balanced by the negative electrons
- electrons move around the atom in spherical shells
- atoms become ions when they are not neutral
- this occurs through the gain or loss of electrons
- all atoms want to be stable or neutral
- a positive charged ion (lacking electron) seeks to gain an electron and opposite for a negative ion (get rid of an electron!)
- all matter is composed of ions and atoms
- the movement of ions creates an electrical field
- some atoms are more reactive than others (if the outer shell is full, it is less reactive)-if it can donate or receive electrons, it tends to be very reactive
how are the maximum number of electrons in each shell calculated?
The shells are numbered outward from the nucleus. The maximum number of electrons found in each shell can be calculated by: 2n2 where “n” is the number of the shell.
sodium…
highly reactive, ;)
conductors and insulators
-conductors are made out of materials that are composed of reactive atoms
-insulators are materials with atoms that have stable shells
fat and skin are good insulators
nerves and muscles are good conductors
characteristics of electricity
- a form of energy
- when in motion, exhibit magnetic, chemical, mechanical, and thermal effects and when at rest or in motion, exerts force on other electricity
- electric current is the actual flow of electrons in a conductor
- electrons flowing continuously in 1 direction is called Direct Current (DC)
- periodic reversal of electron flow is called Alternating Current (AC)
more characteristics of electricity
- charge is the number of free electrons flowing (measured in coulombs)
- current (I) how fast electrons flow. the ampere (A) is the unit of measuring the rate of flow.
- therapeutic current flow is measured in mA and uA
- voltage (V) the electromotive force (EMF) produced by an electrical potential. electron flow is from negative to positive.
- resistance (R) ease or difficulty of current moving through substances. all materials offer some resistance to current flow. Ohm is measure of resistance.
even more characteristics of electricity
impedance- opposition of electrical circuits to flow of AC. Ohm is used for impedance and resistance.
- tissue impedance varies throughout body. more water and more ions means more conductance.
- wet skins conducts more easily. duh.
Ohm’s law!
- relationship between current, voltage, and resistance (impedance)
- V=IxR
- current flow (I) is directly proportional to voltage
- current and resistance are inversely related. high skin resistance therefore required more voltage to produce necessary current.
current flow
- 2 types of electrical currents and the body: electron flow (from the unit to the body) and ionic flow within the body
- in the body, multiple ions are acted upon by an electrical charge
- under the positive pole (anode), positive ions such as sodium are driven to the negative pole. negative ions such as chloride are driven to the positive pole.
- as the positive ions are driven toward the cathode, NaOH is formed, creating an alkaline environment.
- as negative ions are driven toward the anode, an acidic environment is created (HCl).
- as the body attempts to balance pH, circulation increases!
current classification: direct current
- one electrode is always positive and one is always negative
- one electrode receives current from the machine and current is returned to the machine by the other electrode
- current can be continuous or pulsed. as ions gather under one electrode, a chemical environment is created.
current classification: alternating current
- uninterrupted, bi-directional flow of charged particles. changes direction at least once per second
- each electrode is positive for one phase and then negative for the other
pulsatile current
- unidirectional or bi-directional flow of charged particles periodically ceasing for a period of less than one second before the next electrical event
- current is comprised of individual pulses rather of short duration. each pulse is comprised of one or more phases.
- electrochemical reaction depends on whether the pulse is DC or AC
electrical parameters
waveform- visual representation of the pulse
- pulses are monophasic and biphasic
- a monophasic pulse has one phase. this pulse is always unidirectional. (+ve or -ve)
biphasic waveform
- most TENS units and NEMS are biphasic waveform
- biphasic is better than monophasic at preventing ion build-up and abnormal pH
amplitude
- peak amplitude is the maximum current delivered in one phase
- higher peak amplitudes allow for deeper penetration into tissue
-E-stim is capable of generating 4 levels of stimulation:
subsensory, sensory, motor, noxious (less current to more)
rise time
the time it takes for amplitude to increase from zero to peak amplitude
decay time
time it takes for peak amplitude to decrease back to zero
pulse width
- duration of a pulse wave
- the longer the pulse wave, the more likely you are to stimulate motor neurons
sensory nerves are more stimulated by…
low (short) pulse width
frequency
as the frequency increases, one moves from twitch to tetany
therapeutic frequency range:
1-120 hZ
duty cycle
ratio of on/off time (1:4) IMPORTANT FOR REST
RAMP TIME (rise time)
time for the pulse train to reach maximum amplitude (rise time is time of phase to reach max)
ramp time affects..
comfort. 2 seconds is common
Relationship between pulse width and frequency
- pulse width is the duration of a pulse
- pulse width and frequency have an inverse relationship
- as frequency increases, pulse width decreases