Interferential therapy

Interferential therapy is widely used by physiotherapists. It uses electrical current to reduce swelling, relieve pain and stimulate muscle. Interferential applies two different frequencies that interfere with one another to produce a medium frequency current within the tissues.

When we use interferential?

Interferential is commonly used for pain relief, to promote tissue healing, relieve muscle spasm and stimulate deeply situated muscles such as the pelvic floor muscles.

Interferential therapy is used for the following symptoms:

• Acute and chronic pain e.g. lower back pain and sciatica.

• Muscle spasm

• Swelling following ligament sprains and muscle strains.

• Incontinence

• Muscle weakness

Examples of musculoskeletal problems that interferential therapy can treat include:

• Lateral epicondylitis/tennis elbow

• Frozen shoulder

• Osteoarthritis

• Bursitis (inflammation of a bursa)

• Tendinitis (inflammation of a tendon)

• Fractures

Benefits of interferential

Benefits of interferential include:

• Increasing local blood flow to reduce swelling

• Pain relief

• Reduce muscle spasm

Interferential can be used to treat incontinence or muscle weakness secondary to trauma or surgery. This is only used in extreme weakness when a person cannot produce a muscle contraction. In order to treat stress incontinence electrodes are placed over the lower abdomen and inner thigh to produce a muscle contraction of the pelvic floor muscles.