Electrical stimulation is extensively used for the symptomatic control of pain. Although the idea had been proposed for many years (decades even) the rationale boost was provided by the so called “gate control theory” of pain proposed in the mid 1960s by Meizack and Wall.

This article is about pain - and the waveforms included in the Stimulette Edition 5 S2x for working with various kinds of pain.

As we saw in my recent article, (Electrotherapy, FES and it's historical roots) Electrotherapy and it’s cousin, electrical stimulation, have some deep and colourful roots. The stories of applying electrical energy to the body for therapeutic purposes have sometimes stretched the imagination, have sometimes inspired quackery but also produced some fantastic results along the way. In simple terms, the aim is to deliver electrical energy to the tissues of the body in a precisely controlled manner, that will bring about physiological change and by this means achieve some therapeutic benefit.

The new Edition 5 S2x electrotherapy device hosts a number of excellent stimulation protocols but we find that knowledge about their application is not that well understood. In a series of articles we will take a look at some of these protocols and how they might be used. The first protocol we explore is sometimes known as “Russian Stimulation” but it also goes by other names - for example Kotz stimulation or Burst Mode Alternating Current which does tend to lead to some confusion.

Swallowing disorders are common and serious after stroke, brain injury, in ALS and a range of other conditions. For the diagnosis and treatment of swallowing disorders it is obviously important to have a reliable identification and evaluation of swallowing disorders. For use in the everyday clinic, non-invasive procedures which would allow objective, reliable swallowing detection would represent a significant advance. This system is now available as RehaIngest created by Hasomed GmbH. This development combines EMG of critical muscles along with Bioimpedance.

The Tek RMD is a great option for those with paraplegia following a spinal cord injury. If the user has good arm and hand function the product provides all the benefits of standing plus the ability to move, sit and stand freely int he indoor environment.

The Stimulette Edition 5 supports a wide variety of electrotherapy waveforms that are useful for muscle weakness, pain and paralysis. In the case of muscle weakness due to denervated muscles the product supports two classes of waveforms. We discuss in this article how we approach using the stimulator with denervated muscle