Electroretinography

Electroretinography

Electrotherapy involves utilizing electrical energy as a form of medical intervention. This term encompasses a wide array of treatments within medicine, ranging from employing electrical devices like deep brain stimulators for neurological conditions to utilizing electric current to accelerate wound healing. Additionally, the concepts of "electrotherapy" or "electromagnetic therapy" have been associated with various alternative medical practices and devices.

Despite its widespread use, electrotherapy has not shown efficacy in promoting bone healing. While a meta-analysis in 1999 suggested that electrotherapy could enhance wound healing, subsequent findings from the Dutch Medical Council in 2000 highlighted insufficient evidence supporting its benefits. Although some recent publications have hinted at its effectiveness, data remains limited.

In the realm of rehabilitation, particularly in electrical muscle stimulation, electrotherapy has gained recognition and undergone extensive research. Its applications include muscle spasm relaxation, prevention of disuse atrophy, improvement of local blood circulation, muscle rehabilitation and re-education, maintenance and enhancement of range of motion, management of chronic and intractable pain, alleviation of post-traumatic and post-surgical acute pain, as well as immediate post-surgical muscle stimulation to prevent venous thrombosis, wound healing, and drug delivery.

Despite the widespread use of electrotherapy, the mechanisms underlying its effectiveness are not fully understood, and best practices for its application remain largely anecdotal.

Research on electrotherapy devices for treating chronic wounds and pressure ulcers has been conducted. While a 1999 meta-analysis suggested potential benefits in wound healing, a more comprehensive review by the Cochrane Library found no conclusive evidence supporting the effectiveness of electromagnetic therapy, a subset of electrotherapy, in healing pressure ulcers or venous stasis ulcers.