Athletes Tout the Benefits of Electrotherapy

Electrotherapy involves the use of electrical impulses to reduce muscle pain by activating muscle tissues, causing them to contract and then relax.  Electrotherapy also can block pain from nerve signals.  Sports injuries that best respond to electrotherapy include sprained muscles and injuries resulting from overuse, like tennis or golf elbow.  Electrotherapy promotes muscle and soft tissue healing, and also stimulates your body’s production of its natural pain killer, endorphins.  Further, it helps to reduce swelling by sending an electrical current to release the tension that strains nerves and causes them to swell.

Electrotherapy is also particularly useful when an athlete is sidelined for any amount of time.  This is because electrotherapy causes muscles to contract, preventing atrophy from disuse.  The electric signals from electrotherapy bring heat into the deep tissues. This increases blood flow to the affected region and stimulates muscle contraction.  Further, it draws a current to the injured area to relieve muscle spasms and re-educate the muscles after trauma.

Athletes have long touted the healing and pain-relieving benefits of electrotherapy.  These benefits include reduced pain and increased strength and range of motion.  Another major benefit of using electrotherapy is that it is a drug-free solution to pain, eliminating many side effects that can adversely affect performance.

While many athletes use electrotherapy instead of pain medications, some use it in combination with medicine.  In many cases, electrotherapy can help shorten the duration an athlete needs to be on pain meds, or can allow the strength of such medications to be reduced.  Electrotherapy also works well with other therapies such as massage.

Electrotherapy equipment comes in different sizes and shapes.  Portable units can be used on the sidelines of a football game, for instance.  Physical therapists who work exclusively with athletes are able to select the specific machine and stimulation necessary to best treat an athlete in their office or on the sidelines. 

The term electrotherapy may conjure up frightening images of electricity pulsing through a person’s body but nothing could be further from the truth.  Athletes report that their electrotherapy sessions are not only effective; they are relaxing, as well.  Electrotherapy also is used to aid in the recovery of muscles from extensive training.

Electrotherapy is beneficial for professional athletes and weekend warriors alike.  In fact, recreational athletes may actually suffer from more aches and pains than professionals because they aren’t able to stay in top condition like their professional counterparts.