PHYSIOTHERAPEUTICAL TREATMENTS WITH SPECIFIC EQUIPMENT

The physical or instrumental therapy consists in using, during the rehabilitative path, electromedical devices able to produce a particular energy and to transfer it to patients for several therapeutic aims.

The instrumental rehabilitation can be carried out both alone and within more complete physiotherapeutical programmes. Among the Clinica San Francesco’s physical therapies the tecar therapy, laser therapy, shock waves, ultrasounds and electrotherapy are performed.

Tecar Therapy

The tecar therapy (Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistitive) , started in Spain in the late 90’s and successively widespread in Italy, represents an ideal instrumental therapy for the pain reduction since first sessions. Indeed the tecar therapy uses the condenser effect to generate a high-frequency magnetic field permitting to accelerate the cells repairing processes, acting on the membrane potential and so contributing to an outstanding reduction of rehabilitation times.

Thanks to the capacitive and resistive modalities, the action of tecar therapy can be addressed to different profundities and on several tissues, as the muscle, tendon, ligamentous, vascular and lymphatic one, favoring the resorption of hematomas, reducing the inflammation and improving the local circulation.

Therapeutic indications

The tecar therapy is indicated in all the pathologies causing an inflammatory condition of tissues as:

• articular pains: arthrosis, sprains, traumas
• swelling and postoperative or post-traumatic edema
• backaches, sciatica
• neck pain, dorsalgiae
• muscle lesions as contractures, stretching and pulled muscles
• tendon lesions or tendinopathies, ligamentous lesions
• chronic arthralgias from various origins

Laser therapy

The high-powered laser therapy (Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation) represents a valid help in the treatment of muscle and articular inflammatory diseases.

The high intensity electromagnetic ray produced by laser allows to concentrate the effect on a specific body area, producing an increase of cellular metabolic activity, a local vasodilation, an increase of pain threshold and the endorphins release.

The laser therapy has got antalgic, antiedematogenic, antiphlogistic and stimulant on treated tissue effect.   

Therapeutic indications

• articular pains: arthrosis, sprains, traumas
• tendon lesions or tendinopathies, ligamentous lesions
• epicondylitis, epitrochleitis
• bursitis
• backaches, sciatica
• neck pain, dorsalgia
• muscle lesions as contractures, stretching and pulled muscles
• chronic arthralgias from various origins

Shock Waves

The shock wave therapy or ESWT (Extracorporeal ShockWave Therapy) has been introduced in the 90’s for the treatment of kidney stones and urologic diseases. Since the outcomes and the ease of application, the procedure grew also in orthopaedic and rehabilitative field.

It’s about a therapy based on the cavitation event. The high intensity acoustic waves (slight to the human ear) emitted by the equipment, produce microtraumas allowing to accelerate the repairing processes of tissues.

The shock waves allow a focused treatment at the clinic interesting point without being invasive and producing side effects. Furthermore the high biologic effect on tissues permits to make the number of sessions lower than the other physical therapies.   

Therapeutic indications

• Shoulder, Achilles tendon and other articular tendinopathies
• Plantar fasciitis with or without heel spurs, heel inflammations
• Bone consolidation retardation
• Epicondylitis, epitrochleitis
• Pseudarthrosis, bursitis, tenosynovitis
• Pubalgias
• Algodystrophy
• Bone necrosi

Ultrasounds

The ultrasound therapy uses high-frequency acoustic waves created by the stimulation of mineral crystals by alternate current; the produced reaction translates into a high intensity ‘micro massage’ stimulating the tissues deeply.

The mechanical and thermic effect of ultrasounds conducts an antalgic and anti inflammatory action.   

Therapeutic indications

• shoulder, Achilles tendon and other articular tendinopathies
• articular arthrosis
• scars
• capsulitis
• organized postoperative ematomas
• muscle contractures
• articular inflammations

Electrotherapy

The electrotherapy consists in using the biologic effect that the continuous or alternate corrents have on tissues.

The continuous corrent associates the characteristic of specific drugs and spreads them through the skin to arrive deeply in interested area. The alternate corrents indeed have an excite-motor or antalgic effect; in this case we talk about electrotherapy TENS or diadinamics.   

Therapeutic indications

• Strenghten a innervated muscle
• Reactivate a denervated or atrophic muscle
• Reduce the pain (TENS)
• Reactivate the local circulation