Galvanization is a method of physiotherapy. Description of procedure, apparatus

Galvanization is one of the methods of physiotherapeutic treatment used in the complex therapy of many diseases.

Influencing a number of metabolic processes, this technique allows to significantly improve the patient's condition in the rehabilitation period of many diseases.

Principle of operation

The essence of the healing technique of galvanization is the use of current properties having a constant frequency, low voltage and a small force that, through the electrodes applied to the skin, affects the body. In the tissues, under the influence of current, there is the phenomenon of electrolytic dissociation. The redistribution of ions causes a complex set of physicochemical processes that result in a change in the permeability of cell membranes, enzyme activity, and the level of metabolic processes.

The intensity and duration of exposure is determined by a specialist, based on the specific nature of the pathological process.

The device for the galvanizing device assumes the presence of two electrodes - a cathode, which lowers the ability of tissues to excite, and an anode that increases this ability.

Important: not all tissues of the body are affected, but only those that are capable of conducting galvanic current.

What to treat?

A number of tissues are immune to galvanic current, since they have an insufficient amount of free liquid in the composition:

• skin;
• ligament apparatus;
• tendons;
• are the relaxed muscles;
• bone tissue.

On the contrary, physiological liquids and abundant blood-supplying organs and tissues most readily respond to this effect:

• blood;
• CSF;
• bile;
• of lymph;
• liver;
• spleen;
• is light;
• of the kidney.

It is in these organs that the maximum effect of treatment procedures is recorded.

Effects of

• Weakening of the sensitivity of superficially located nerve endings that are affected. This effect relates to the temperature and pain sensitivities, it is used when it is necessary to eliminate the pain syndrome in chronic diseases( for example, osteochondrosis, radiculopathy, spondylitis).
• Improved resorption of substances into the bloodstream in vessels. This effect finds application, for example, with anti-inflammatory therapy with the use of drugs from the appropriate group for topical application. On this phenomenon, another therapeutic technique, electrophoresis, is based.
• Activating effect on sympathoadrenal system and activation of lymph circulation
• Activation of the activity of endocrine glands.
• Activation of reparative processes in tissues, which is necessary for traumatic lesions.

Indications

Knowledge of the mechanism of action and galvanic current effects allowed to formulate a list of situations that require the galvanic current to affect the body.

Galvanization is a pathogenetic type of therapy. This makes it possible to apply it in a wide range of diseases susceptible to this type of organ exposure.

• Trophic disorders due to disorders of hemodynamics and microcirculation.
• Joint lesions resulting from infectious inflammatory processes or traumatic effects( in these cases, galvanization is used during the rehabilitation phase).
• Infectious-inflammatory or traumatic lesions of the peripheral nervous system( physiotherapy in particular, galvanization and electrophoresis, are shown in the rehabilitation period) - for example, plexitis, neuritis, neuromyositis.
• The rehabilitation period after various lesions of the brain( in the absence of contraindications).
• Changes characteristic of the initial stages of arterial hypertension and atherosclerotic process.
• Vegetative dystonia.
• Migraine.
• Arterial hypotension.
• Some changes characteristic of angina pectoris.
• Complex treatment of neurotic conditions, neurasthenia.
• Some ophthalmic diseases.
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Some diseases of ENT organs.
• Complex therapy of chronic inflammatory processes.

The application of the galvanization method in these situations improves the prognosis of the disease and allows reducing the rehabilitation period after the transferred pathology of the nervous system or musculoskeletal system.

Preparation of

Before the beginning of medical manipulation, it is necessary to carefully inspect the areas of the skin, which are supposed to be affected by electrodes. It should be intact, without rashes and irritations.

Treatment procedure

Throughout the procedure it is necessary to monitor the indications of the device, not allowing the current to exceed the set current, and subjective sensations of the patient, preventing the occurrence of pain.

Subjectively during the galvanization procedure, the patient, with a correctly selected current strength, feels twitching, paresthesia in the form of "crawling crawl" and vibration under the electrodes applied to the skin. And under the cathode, the impact, including the annoying one, is felt more strongly than under the anode. If sensations appear in the form of burning or pain, the device should be turned off smoothly, and to turn on the procedure again, setting a lower intensity of exposure.

To prevent peeling of the epidermis in course treatment, it is recommended to lubricate the skin with petroleum jelly.

With course treatment after 5-6 procedures, there may be an exacerbation of a chronic disease with a certain increase in symptoms. The patient should be informed that such an effect is not a deterioration in the course of the disease, but indicates a positive effect of the treatment procedure.

Contraindications

Galvanization is a very effective way of acting on the body: a direct current affects many metabolic and biochemical processes. Therefore, when prescribing a treatment procedure, one should take into account the presence of a number of contraindications - states when such an effect can be harmful:

• Inflammatory processes in the acute phase, including purulent ones.
• Individual intolerance to the effect of electric current.
• Severe degree of atherosclerotic process.
• Diseases of the blood system.
• Infectious-inflammatory diseases, located in the acute phase, characterized by an increase in body temperature.
• Mechanical traumatization of skin in the intended site of application of electrodes.
• Skin diseases accompanied by damage to the skin.
• Pregnancy Period.
• The state of cachexia.
• Febrile conditions of any origin.
• The presence of malignant neoplasms.
• Severe hypertension( with episodes of blood pressure rises up to 180/100 millimeters of mercury).Atrial fibrillation.
• Presence of extrasystoles.
• Severe circulatory failure( grade 2-3).

The device for galvanizing "Flow-1"

This device complies with the second class of electrical safety and is intended for galvanization and electrophoresis treatment procedures.

Since the therapeutic device "Potok-1" is not equipped with a timer, during the medical manipulation of the personnel, control over the duration of the procedure is required;special procedural hours are used for this.

Therapeutic apparatus "Alfor Prof"

This is one of the models of devices widely used for obtaining direct current for the purpose of medical treatment.

This device for galvanizing and electrophoresis is an improved version of the therapeutic device for electrophoresis "Flow-1", which has the following features:

• The presence of a microcontroller in a modified version allows it to expand its functionality.
• Smoothly rotating, without any stops and limitations, the intensity control knob allows a more smooth and precise adjustment of the intensity.
• When the machine is turned on, the current is always automatically set to zero level;this is the most important measure of electrical safety.
• Presence of the built-in timer in the device "Alfor Prof" greatly simplifies the process of the procedure, in particular, control over the duration of the procedure. After the set time, the equipment is turned off automatically.

• The current stabilization mode helps maintain a constant value of the preset parameters throughout the manipulation.
• Another possibility of the apparatus "Elfor Prof", in addition to galvanizing, is the electrophoresis. In this mode, local administration of pharmaceuticals is carried out.