You’re here because you might’ve heard of electrotherapy or electrical muscle stimulation. Someone probably even suggested it to you as a physiotherapy treatment. But are you aware of the advantages of electrotherapy in physiotherapy are? Do you know what are the risks associated with electrotherapy in physiotherapy? Now, if you’re scouring the web and seeking for treatment for yourself or gathering information for a friend or a relative, let us help you weigh the pros and cons of using electrotherapy in physiotherapy. We’ll present you with the facts, a thorough background of electrotherapy and how it really works, and hopefully helping you weigh up the pros and cons of electrotherapy. But first, it’s imperative we dive into the topic in a bit more detail.

What Is Electrotherapy?

Electrotherapy is harnessing the electrical current energy as a form of medical treatment for electrical muscle stimulation. Pretty simple, isn’t it? Not quite…let’s uncover what electrotherapy benefits are, what electrotherapy actually does and how can it help you? Electrotherapy uses a different forms of treatments, but its main objective is to apply electrical current to the tissues of your body which has numerous therapeutic effects like, which include relieving pain and making your muscles strong. Modern medical science has several genres of electrotherapy treatments present, and their use changes with different physiotherapists.

How Does Electrotherapy Work?

Now, many people are scared at the mere mention of electrotherapy in physiotherapy and think of it as being shocked by electric current. But the machines that are used in electrotherapy are manufactured carefully so the application of the electric current is at an incredibly safe and measurable intensity.

So, let’s discuss how the process of electrotherapy actually work. Before we understand how it works, we must know that electric current is a stream of charged particles, knowns as electrons, which move through a conductive material like an electrical wire. Then, you need a power source to create this electric current, like a battery. This electric current will then travel from one point to another through the conductive electric wire. Now apply the same concept to every electrotherapy device as they also need to be connected to a power source, so that the electric current travels through the wire, all the way to the electrodes. What are electrodes? Well, they’re manufactured to connect to something that isn’t conductive to the electric current, such as the tissues in your body. So what happens is that the physiotherapists stick the electrodes to your skin and the current flows through your skin from one electrode to the other, freely.

Why do we use electrotherapy?

The main rationale behind electrotherapy in physiotherapy is that applying a low electric current to the body’s tissues can improve its natural ability to stimulate, direct and control the healing and restoration processes. Think of it like aiming to activate your cells besides stimulating them into a higher activity level. This way, you are still harnessing your body’s natural resources to do the work, as the electrons are just triggering the change. This can get you relief from pain, stimulate your body’s muscle movement while improving its tissue healing as well. What’s best about this is that it is a non-invasive form of medical treatment with little to nearly no side effects. And that’s the main reason why so many physiotherapists use it to treat different kinds of musculoskeletal problems.

Now, there are numerous different types of electrotherapy, such as Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) and interferential therapy. Each kind has a different set of qualities, is unique in its own way besides feeling different from the other types. Laser and Ultrasound are often thought of as electrotherapy as well but the difference is that they actually apply light or sound waves to your tissues, not electrical energy current.

Further in this blog, we’ll dive deep into the different kinds of electrotherapy in physiotherapy and explain them in detail. And these you can expect to have these forms of electrotherapy at Medical Center Abu Dhabi integrated as part of your treatment sessions, as and when necessary.

Types of Electrotherapy

Electrotherapy can be classified into three types: TENS, EMS, and interferential therapy. Each type has unique effects and sensations. Let’s discuss them separately:

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

The TENS unit’s stimulation tries to excite and stimulate sensory nerves with a modest electrical current, hence activating specific natural pain relief mechanisms.

Two kinds of frequencies can be employed…

1. High frequency (90 to 130 Hz)

When set to a high frequency, TENS stimulates particular ‘non-pain’ nerve fibers to send signals to the brain, effectively blocking other nerve signals and delivering pain messages. High-frequency stimulation, sometimes known as ‘conventional TENS’, feels like a bearable tingle / prickle. It can be taken for many hours, however the pain alleviation is very temporary.

2. Lower frequency (2–5 Hz)

TENS at a lower frequency encourages the generation of endorphins, which are natural pain-relieving substances. Low-frequency stimulation, also known as “acupuncture-like TENS”, might be more unpleasant. It is usually applied for 20 – 30 minutes, although the pain alleviation lasts considerably longer.

Burst Mode

A third method of using TENS is to use both high and low-frequency stimulations in a ‘burst mode’. When the machine is turned on, it will produce pulses of varying frequencies. For some individuals, this is by far the most effective method of pain relief, even if it causes a gripping, clawing or muscle-twitching sensation that can be unpleasant.

Interferential Current (IFC)

Interferential current (IFC) is a more complex variant of TENS. Interferential current employs a high frequency (4000 Hz) carrier waveform that penetrates the skin deeper than a conventional TENS device while causing less user discomfort for the same intensity of stimulation. Numerous studies have found that IFC is quite helpful for pain reduction.

Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS)

EMS machines frequently resemble TENS units. Sometimes a single machine can provide both EMS and TENS therapy. But, it’s important to know that EMS differs from TENS. How? Well, the electric current is applied to weaker muscles rather than nerves, causing the muscles to contract and gradually restore strength. EMS is used to rehab muscles that have been significantly weakened and for less serious ailments like strained muscles. It causes a muscular contraction in the area where the electrodes are inserted.

It works best when combined with physical activity. Even though EMS may be beneficial in progressively strengthening muscles, consumers should be skeptical of exaggerated marketing claims that it is a quick answer for increasing muscle strength and fitness.

The different kinds of treatments explained above are combined with several other physiotherapy techniques to garner the best results and make sure electrotherapy is effective in the treatment of:

  •         Strains / sprains
  •         Fractures and splints
  •         Back/neck pain
  •         Arthritis
  •         Plantar fasciitis
  •         Tendonitis
  •         DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness)
  •         Stroke, Cerebral Palsy and Multiple Sclerosis patients
  •         Fibromyalgia
  •         Labor pain
  •         Tennis elbow
  •         Hip pain
  •         Carpal tunnel syndrome


Electrotherapy has massive advantages and can be applied in many different methods, and there’s always at least one, if not more, electrotherapy in physiotherapy treatment that will be suit your body.

If the many different kinds of electrotherapy treatments are combined with exercises, they can help in muscle stimulation and strengthening, reduction in swelling and irritation, alleviating chronic or nerve pain, an increase in blood circulation and range of motion.

Electrotherapy can be used to treat:

  •         Acute or chronic joint pain
  •         Sporting injury
  •         Rheumatoid Arthritis
  •         Facial paralysis
  •         Post-surgical (stimulation, pain or trauma)
  •         Spinal osteoarthritis
  •         Neck or back pain
  •         Muscle rehabilitation (especially after trauma or stroke)

Electrotherapy Benefits in Physical Therapy

Before we explore the benefits of electrotherapy, we must recap what is electrotherapy. The electrotherapy units often emit a mild electric current energy to the affected area through electrode pads, and these sticky pads are placed on your skin, connected to the electrotherapy unit by thin electric wires. As soon as the unit is switched on, rhythmic pulses are sent to the body to prevent pain receptors through the nerves. This electrical stimulation has a massive impact on our brain through the nervous system. What it does is it aids in releasing endorphins, helping enhance blood circulation, improve your mood, a significant reduction in swelling as well as improving the recovery speed significantly.

The Advantages & Disadvantages of Electrotherapy

Everything in this universe has its pros and cons. So does electrotherapy as it has many advantages, but it’s very important that we also understand its disadvantages, as well. We discuss these pros and cons to help you decide if it is useful for you or not. You decide…

Pros of ElectrotherapyCons of Electrotherapy
1. Non-invasive and non-toxic method of treating chronic conditions1. Can cause skin irritation or burns
2. Reduces nerve pain by blocking pain signals2. Muscle soreness, swelling, or bruising
3. Lessens or removes the need for pain relief/narcotics3. Induced fatigue or dizziness
4. Stimulates healing process4. Not to be used over infected or cancerous tissue
5. Promotes preventing surgery5. Not suitable for pregnant women or children
6. Increased strength and muscle tone

Look, the reason for developing this guide is so that you don’t have to decide alone. We’ll always advise you to talk with a certified physiotherapist to discuss your options for treatment. Of course, when it comes to Physiotherapy Abu Dhabi, we understand it’s crucial that you feel comfortable with your decision and make sure you have all the available information to hand in order to make so.