An Overview of the Use of
Modalities in Rehabilitation

Electrotherapy has been around for quite a long time with reports about medicinal use of electricity as far back as 420 B.C. Today this use is well accepted with many different applications described in the literature and a wide array of devices available to the practitioner.

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Introduction to Low Level Laser Therapy

The acronym “LASER” stands for Light (photons) Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is the best and most widely accepted descriptor of the type of lasers used in rehabilitation. The instrument itself is considered a “therapeutic laser”. LLLT has historically been classified as a non-thermal modality.1 Non-thermal modalities are those physical agents that do not raise the subcutaneous tissue temperature greater than 36.5ºC. Therefore the therapeutic effects of LLLT are not associated with a heating response, but rather a photochemical response. When light (photons) enters the cell, certain molecules called chromophores react to it, and trigger a photochemical reaction that leads to desirable physiologic effects. LLLT is simply another form of energy (physical agent) that can be used to create physiological changes in tissue.

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Moveo XP:  Introducing Weight-Bearing Exercise in the Early Stages of Rehabilitation for the Medically Complex Patient

With survival rates increasing due to continuing advancements in medical technology, the impact of prolonged immobility of the medically complex patient becomes an even more profound and costly issue for healthcare providers. A decrease in physical activity is often linked to losses in the functional capacity of the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. These two systems are critical to achieving and maintaining functional independence, which is a prerequisite for discharge from a healthcare facility.  The return to functional mobility, and the minimization or prevention of complications encountered by the bedridden patient, are increasingly important issues for healthcare providers to address.

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Article from Physical Therapy Products magazine

Ion transfer, or iontophoresis, is the use of continuous direct current to move ions through the skin.  Over the last decade, Iontophoresis has become popular in rehabilitation settings as an alternative to oral and injected delivery of corticosteroids, because it is non-invasive, non-traumatic, and painless and can be directed at a specific site.  In addition to rehabilitation, iontophoresis is of particular interest in the areas of dentistry, dermatology, and oncology.

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Use of a Dynamic Tilt Table for Preambulation Strength Training of Severely Deconditioned Patients

Early mobilization of patients with severe deconditioning can be a daunting task for therapists. In the past, physical manpower has been used to begin standing these patients when they lacked the lower extremity strength to support full body weight. The manual lifting approach has proven to be physically taxing for therapists and psychologically degrading for patients because the activity is too difficult for the patient. This article describes the use of a dynamic tilt table that allows severely deconditioned patients to perform closed-chain exercise in a gravity-reduced environment from 2% to 75% body weight depending on the incline. Use of the dynamic tilt table offered a safe and controlled transition from bedrest to standing with full body weight and appeared to expedite the recovery process compared to the manual lifting approach. Additionally, it appeared to provide psychological benefits by empowering the patients with an activity they could perform without physical assistance.

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Intelect® Legend XT Electric Stimulation And Combo Units Sales Representative Reference

What is Electrotherapy?

Electrotherapy is the application of electrical stimulation transmitted through the body via electrodes for therapeutic purposes. The current flows through the body from one electrode to the other and causes different physiological reactions depending upon the type of current selected, the parameters of the selected current, and the output intensity. As current flows through the body it can stimulate nerve and/or muscle tissue causing pain relief, muscle contraction to prevent/retard disuse atrophy or re-educate a muscle, relax spasms, or increase local circulation.

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Nonthermal Therapeutic Ultrasound to Enhance Tissue Healing Review of Available Literature

Therapeutic ultrasound is one of the most widely used physical agents in the field of rehabilitation.3,4,10,17,21 It has been used for over 50 years as both a thermal and a nonthermal physical agent.1,4,10,17,21 Therapeutic ultrasound is most often associated with heating of soft tissue. Previous research has established that both 1 and 3 MHz continuous ultrasound can produce subcutaneous tissue temperature increases of 4 °C, or greater, when the appropriate ultrasound treatment parameters are selected, including a treatment area no greater than 2 times the effective radiating area (ERA) of the ultrasound applicator.4,6,7,8,26 Historically, in the United States the important tissue healing effects of nonthermal ultrasound has received only limited attention. The focus of this paper is to review the effects of nonthermal therapeutic ultrasound on tissue healing.

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Making waves - patients reap the benefits of therapeutic ultrasound.  A news article.

Ultrasound - A high frequency sound wave used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes---has been used in the medical field for decades.  Why then is there so little research surrounding the effects of the modality?

"There is not a plethora of evidence, but there is some very respectable literature that has demonstrated the physiologic value of some modalities," said Dawn T. Gulick, PhD, PT, ATC, CSCS, a professor at Widener University's Institute for Physical Therapy.
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