FARADIC AND GALVANIC CURRENT

FARADIC CURRENT
Introduction-
 Low frequency current
 Short duration interrupted direct current
 Pulse duration-0.1 to 1ms
 FREQUENCY-50-100 pulse per sec

History-
MICHAEL FARADAY (1791-1867),he discovered the principle of
induction in 1831 and electric currents produced by these coils
were called FARADIC CURRENT to honor him.
The term faradism was originally used to represent the type of
current produced by faradic coil which is a type of induction coil.
MODIFICATION OF FARADIC CURRENT
 Faradic current was modified to make it more useful for
treatment purposes.
 These currents are surged for treatment purposes to produce a
near normal tetanic like contraction and relaxation of muscle.
 The current is surged so that the intensity of successive impulses
increases gradually i.e., Each impulse reaching a peak value and
falls suddenly or gradually.
WAVEFORM OF FARADIC CURRENT
-WAVEFORM
Biphasic ,Asymmetrical,Unbalanced

-POSITIVE PORTION
Short duration,High amplitude ,Spiked

-NEGATIVE PORTION
Long duration ,Low amplitude and Curved
SURGING OF FARADIC CURRENT
TRAPEZOIDAL SURGING
Impulses increases
slowly,maintained there for
sometime and decreases
gradually forming trapezoid.

TRIANGULAR SURGING
Impulses increases and
decreases gradually forming
triangular shape
RECTANGULAR
Impulses increases rapidly, maintained there for sometime & falls
abruptly.

SAW TOOTH
Impulses increases gradually but suddenly falls.
ACCOMODATION
 When a constant current flows ,the nerve adapts itself .this effect
is known as ACCOMODATION or ADAPTATION.
 When the current rises ,the impulse is initiated but a fall in
current can also intiate an impulse,while the current flows at a
constant level the accomodation of nerve takes place.
 According to waveform accomodation-
TRAPEZOIDAL >TRIANGULAR > SAW TOOTH >RECTANGULAR
 EFFECT OF NERVE STIMULATION
When a sensory nerve is stimulated, then the downward travelling
impulse has no effect but the upper travelling impulse is
appreciated when it reaches conscious level of Brain.

When a motor nerve is stimulated ,then upper travelling impulse

is unable to pass first synapse , as it is travelling downward
impulse passes through the muscles supplied by the nerve causing
them to contract.
 EFFECT OF FREQUENCY STIMULATION
When a single stimulus is applied, impulses passes simultaneously
to a number of motor unit so that in normal circumstances is a
sudden brisk contraction followed by the immediate relaxation.
If increasing the frequency of stimuli, shortens the period of
relaxation.
 STRENGTH OF CONTRACTION
Depends upon the motor units activated or recruited (which in
turn depends upon intensity of current).
If the intensity of current rises suddenly then there is no time
for ACCOMODATION to take place,resulting in muscle contraction
If the current rises more slowly as trapezoidal, triangular and
saw tooth impulses, there is some ACCOMODATION and greater
intensity of current is needed to produce contraction
GALVANIC CURRENT
INTRODUCTION-
It is also LOW FREQUENCY CURRENT
Long Duration Interrupted Direct Current
PULSE DURATION –more than 1ms which may be upto 300ms.
FREQUENCY-less than 50 Hz

HISTORY-
LUIGI GALVANI (1737-1798) discovered the Galvanic current in
1780s.
PROCEDURE OF
TREATMENT
1. PROCEDURE OF TREATMENT
1. While giving treatment with neuromuscular electrical stimulation
to the patient.it shluld be kept in mind that treatment must be
effective,comfortable and in a proper way. So treatment should
be done umder following procedure
2. 1 Apparatus Preparation
3. 2 Patient Preparation
4. 3 Application of different techniques
 APPARATUS PREPARATION
 FOR FARADIC=Before applying to patient therapist must consider
following points
 1 Testing of apparatus=
 Attach the leads and electrodes to the terminals holding the two
current in moistened hand and turning up the current until the mild
prickling sensation is experienced and muscle contraction is
produced
 Describe the experience the patient will feel and make sure that
patient can see the produced muscle contraction
 Duration and frequency of the surge should be set
 Apparatus should be atleast 2 metre far enough to prevent output
disturbance by Radio frequency
 Electrode should be dipped in tap water or in warm 1 percent
saline to reduce the resistance
QUALITIES OF AN ELECTRODE
 Pad should be made of atleast 8 layers of lint to make good
contact wuth the tissues and electrode and to absorb the chemical
if formed
 They should be evenly folded with no cease to prevent uneven
distribution of current and consequent discomfort
 Electrodes should be 1cm small all around the pads to elimimate
the danger of their coming in contact with skin,causing
uncomfortable and possible damage to tissues from chemical
action
 Corner of electrode should be rounded
 ACTIVE ELECTRODE= It should be disc electrode or a small lint
sponge pad with a flat plated electrode
 Indifferent electrode= It shlould be flat plate electrode
lint ,sponge pad
ELECTRODE SIZE
 Size of muscle to be stimulated for example for small muscles or
localized stimulation small electrodes are used and for large
muscles or a group of muscles,large electrodes are used
 FOR GALVANIC=Procedure will be same as with faradic
 Electrode padding should be proper as long duration pulses are
liable to cause chemical burns
 No metal should be allowed to come in contact with patients
tissue
 PATIENT PREPARATION
 Before giving treatment it should be watched
 1 Patient is warm so that muscle responds ti stimulation
 2 Clothes from the area to be treated are removed
 3 Properly,support the area to be treated to relax or shorten the
muscles of the part.this position can be modified according to
effect required
 Skin should be washed with soap to remove naural oils
 Before applying the pad,the skin is moistened with saline water
which will reduce the skin resisitance as skin has high resistance
due to dryness and presence of few ions
 If skin breaks it is protected by little petroleum jelly covered with
small piece of non-absorbent cotton wool to protect the Pad
 Indifferent pad should be larege to reduce the current density
which is kept to minimum.It prevent excessive skin stimulation
and reduce the comtraction of unwanted muscle
 CONTRAINDICATIONS

1. Cardiac pacemaker and arrythmia:

• Electrical stimulation may interfere with the functioning of the
cardiac pacemaker and could alter the heart rate.
• It may interfere with the electrical activity of the heart.
• It may also increase the chances of unstable arrythmia in those
cases which are not treated with pacemakers.
2. UNCONCIOUS PATIENT

3. RECENT RADIOTHERAPY

4. CAROTID SINUS

5. PLACEMENT OF ELECTRODES TANGENTIAL TO THE HEART

6. PRESENCE OF MALIGNANCY
7.CANCEROUS LESION
8. SITE OF INFECTION
9. UNCONTROLLED HEMORRHAGE
 PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
OF
ARADIC AND GALVANIC CURRENT
PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF FARADIC CURRENT
 Stimulation of sensory nerves
 Stimulation of motor nerves
 Effect of muscle contraction
 Faradic current will not stimulate denervated muscles
 Reduction of swelling and pain
 Chemical changes
STIMULATION OF SENSORY NERVES
 Mild prickling sensation is experienced.
 It is not very marked because of short duration.
 Causes reflex vasodilatation of superficial blood vessels leading to
slight erythema.
 Vasodilatation is confined to superficial tissues so is of little
practical importance.
 STIMULATION OF MOTOR NERVES
It occurs if the current is of sufficient intensity, causing
contraction of muscles which they supply.
 The contraction is tetanic in type as stimulus is
repeated 50 times or more per sec.
 If this type of contraction is maintained for more than a
short
period of time, muscle fatigue occurs. So, the current is
commonly surged to allow for muscle relaxation.
EFFECT OF MUSCLE CONTRACTION

 When muscle contracts, changes taking place within a muscle are

increase in metabolism, increase in demand for oxygen and
nutrients and increase output of waste products.
 As muscle contracts & relax, exert a pumping action on veins and
lymphatic vessels thus, increases the venous and lymphatic return.
FARADIC CURRENT WILL NOT STIMULATE DENERVATED MUSCLES

 The current required to produce a contraction of denervated

muscle with an impulse lasting for 1 ms is usually too great to be
tolerable for treatment purposes.
REDUCTION OF SWELLING AND PAIN

 It occurs due to alteration of the permeability of the cell

membrane, leading to acceleration of fluid movement in the
swollen tissue and arterial dilatation.
 Moreover, it leads to increase metabolism and get rid of waste
products.
CHEMICAL CHANGES

 The ions move one way during one phase of the current and in the
reverse direction during the other phase of the current if it is
alternating.
 If the two phases are equal, the chemicals formed during one
phase are neutralized during the next phase but if phases are not
similar there are chemical changes which can cause electrolyte
burn.
 In faradic current, chemical formations are not great enough to
give rise to a serious danger of burns because of the short duration
of impulses.
PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF GALVANIC CURRENT
 Contraction of denervated muscles
 Stimulation of sensory nerves
 Stimulation of motor nerves
CONTRACTION OF DENERVATED MUSCLES

 Occurs only when intensity and duration of current is adequate.

 The contraction is sluggish.
 Normal contraction and relaxation of denervated muscles is slower
than that of innervated muscles.
STIMULATION OF SENSORY NERVES

 Impulses are of longer duration as the effect is rather marked.

 Results in stabbing or burning pain.
 Reflex vasodilation of superficial blood vessels resulting in skin
erythema.
STIMULATION OF MOTOR NERVES

 Contraction of muscles but at very high intensity.

 Brisk contraction followed by relaxation of innervated
muscles.
 PRECAUTIONS AND DANGER OF
FARADIC AND GALVANIC CURRENT
PRECAUTIONS:-
 Not to be applied over eyes.
 Not to be applied internally.
 Not to be applied trans-cranially or upper cervical region in patient
with history of seizures as it may produce seizures.
 Transient ischemia attacks[brief episode of neurological dysfunction
caused by lose of blood flow]ischemia in the brain, spinal cord or
retina.
 Cerebrovascular attacks stroke [blood flow to one part stops due to
blockage or rupture of vessel]
 Phychogenic pain - pain is induced by prolong or increase mental,
behaviour or social prolong. Patient suffer from back pain,
headaches etc. they are usually by social rejection, heart break etc.
DANGERS/COMPLICATIONS
1. Shock
 it is caused by:-

• Inadiquate earthing of the apparatus.

• Wet floor with faulty earthing of the apparatus.
• Increasing or decreasing the current quickly.

2. Burns
 It is caused by:-
• Contact of the matel to the skin.
• Over dosage or current density is high.
Technically interferential current is not capable of producing a burn
as the current is evenly alternating still there is a chance of skin
burn .if a bare electrodes touches the skin or the electrodes on the
skin are too close that allows a skin current to pass between them.
3. Skin irritation
4. Systemic effects:-
• Can cause with treating large area.
• Occur with anticholinergic drug
• Cause headache, abdominal pain, mild dryness of mouth.

5. Increased pain
As a rule the patient is expected to get sensation of mild tingling
type , but the intensity is too high or if the electrodes are placed
close to each other , the patient may feel pain.
 Therapeutic effect of faradic

• Facilitation of muscle contraction

When a patient is unable to produce a muscle contraction and find difficulty in doing so
due to pain or injury, then electrical stimulation may be used in assisting voluntary
contraction.

• Re education of muscle
In situation where muscle action is not readily under voluntary control without practice
such as disuse atrophy or faulty posture habit such as in case of long standing flat foot
due to disuse of intrinsic foot muscle or poor posture due to disuse of incorrect use of
back muscle. In the circumstances , faradic type current is applied to produce
movement so that the lost movement is produced to the entre range of motion,
replicating the voluntary action. Total treatment time should be about 15 minutes,
• Improved venous and lymphatic drainage
Increase venous and lymphatic return is brought by pumping action of muscle
(contraction and relaxation). This treatment is most effective when applied by the method
of faradism under pressure. It is used for the treatment of oedema and gravitational ulcer.
• Spasticity reduction
Electrical stimulation is widely used by the therapist for reduction of spasticity and to
regain voluntary control.

• Prevention of loosening of adhesion

Where there is effusion into the tissue , adhesion are likely to be formed. Active exercise
is not possible then electrical stimulation can be used for this purpose .
• Reduction of limb oedema
Electrical stimulation of the muscles that generally act as the muscle pump may be
continued with compresses and elevation of the limb to increase venous and
lymphatic return and so relieve oedema. This technique is sometime know as
faradism under pressure. The repetition rate is slow also, give time to relaxation.
Treatment time 15-30 mint

• Faradic foot bath

Electrical stimulation by faradic type current so applied in water filled baths for re-
education of weaker muscle of foot. Application of faradic current to the body
parts(foots) in a tube , tray or tank containing water is termed as faradic foot bath.
Pulse duration:- 150-200 microsec, for small muscle or 200-350 microsec, for large
muscle.
On off time =1:2
Total treatment time = 15-20 mint, 2-3 times a day
 Therapeutic effect of galvanic current
Galvanic current for treatment is to maintain the muscle in a healthy state and to
retard atrophy, making muscle contract with electrical stimuli would substitute for
the beneficial effect of normal muscle contraction.
When muscle in de-innervated , many structural and functional changes occur such
as :-
o loss of voluntary and reflex activity .
o Atrophy, degeneration and fibrosis.
o Fibrillation (shivering-no complete contraction
and relaxation)
Electrical stimulation of muscle fibers using galvanic current may slow these
changes .
• Galvanic current use in facial treatment
Reduces Dullness And Makes Skin Glow.
Reduce Fine Lines And Wrinkles and tightness of face.
Improves The Elasticity Of Your Skin.
increases oxygen supply to your face.
THANK YOU