There are four common clinical names that describe electrical stimulation devices:
Electrical Stimulation Device
Type of Current
Summary of Action
AC - Burst modulation
uses current to depolarize muscle and stimulate a muscle contraction
High Volt Pulsed Current (HVPC)
uses high intensity, short duration, pulsed current to promote charge accumulation in the tissue
Interferential Current (IFC)
amplitude- modulated AC
asynchronous waves interfere and produce a pain modulating effect; uses four electrodes
Low intensity direct current (LIDC; Microcurrent)
DC or monophasic pulsed
uses unidirectional flow of current to accumulate a charge in tissue
In addition to the common practice of referring to electrical devices when talking about electrical stimulation (ES or "estim), there are three common acronyms that describe types of electrical stimulation:
neuromuscular electrical stimulation
activation of skeletal muscle for strengthening
Measure: manual muscle test or dynamometry
Post-operative joint repair or replacement
Muscle is innervated
Functional electrical stimulation
activation of skeletal muscle for reactivation or movement training and recovery of purposeful movement
Test or measure: functional task performance
Post-stroke, spinal cord injury or other paralytic conditions
Peripheral nerve innervation is intact
(sensory and circulation effect)
Transcutaneous nerve stimulation
applied over skin for pain modulation
referred to as "conventional", "sensory" or "high frequency"
Low back pain; neck pain
(motor and circulation effect)
Transcutaneous nerve stimulation
Twitch motor response applied to affected areas related to the pain
referred to as "acupuncture" or "low frequency"
(edema reduction effect)
High Volt Pulsed Current
Applied to joints and limbs to reduce acute swelling. The active electrode is the cathode (-) in acute stages
Acute ligament sprain
High Volt Pulsed Current
Applied to wound in the inflammation and proliferation stages; changes in cell membrane and influx of calcium ions promotes tissue healing
early stages of healing: cathode (-) is treatment electrode
debridement stages (e.g. remodeling): anode (+) is the treatment electrode
Decubitus ulcers; pressure injury
Naming can be confusing! To recap, you may hear or read any of the following terms about electrical stimulation applications:
Russian, HVPC, IFC, Microcurrent, NMES, FES, or TENS
In order for therapists to reproduce the effect of electrical stimulation, best practice is to make decisions based on the waveform (e.g., DC, AC, burst or modulated AC, low intensity direct current), pulse frequency, and pulse duration
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Date last modified: November 5, 2019.
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