6. IFT: WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS
Many users will be familiar with TENS, which delivers intermittent pulses to stimulate
surface nerves and block the pain signal. Unlike TENS, Interferential Therapy delivers a
continuous stimulation deep into the affected tissue.
IFT achieves this deep penetration by using a 4000Hz carrier wave to overcome the
skin impedance. TENS signals travel around the top 1cm of the skin surface. IFT signals
travel almost directly between the electrodes.
Interferential Therapy uses two medium frequency 4000Hz currents that ‘interfere’ with
each other to produce a
beat frequency
that the body recognises as a low frequency
energy source.
Unlike TENS, which delivers intermittent pulses to stimulate surface nerves and block the
pain signal, IFT delivers continuous stimulation deep into the affected tissue. In addition
to providing pain relief by the same mechanism that TENS uses, most physiotherapists
consider that IFT’s major role is to accelerate the inflammatory or healing rate.
IFT is believed to work by stimulating parasympathetic nerve fibres to give increased
blood flow and oedema reduction and by passing currents across cell membranes; these
currents vary depending upon the tissue involved. By using particular frequencies in the
range, different systems within the body can be stimulated or used to increase the blood
supply, which in turn hastens the healing rate. IFT is used to treat almost any condition
where inflammation is a problem. For example, sports injuries; arthritic conditions;
bruising and swellings, back pain, osteo-arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, muscular pain.
Many practitioners use a “Sweep” treatment which uses constantly changing interference
pulse frequency. Practical clinical experience suggests therapeutic benefits for these
sweeps in addition to those of conventional nerve stimulation.
11
12
7. MICROCURRENT
MicroCurrent Stimulation (MIC)
is a type of therapy where very low current is sent
into the cells of the body. MIC is a very faint current that is so small it is measured in
millionths of an amp (microamps). Human cells generate a current that is in the micro
amp range which is why some can’t feel it - the current is so low it doesn’t stimulate the
sensory nerves.
MIC is a physiological electric modality that increases ATP (energy) production in the
cells of your body. This dramatically increases the tissue’s healing rate. The immediate
response to the correct MIC frequency suggests that other mechanisms are involved as
well. The exact effects or changes in the tissue can be noticeable; scars can suddenly
soften; trigger points often become less painful when the “correct” frequency is applied.
In many situations the changes can be long lasting and even permanent in some cases.
Microcurrent has been shown to give very effective pain relief. In patient surveys over
90% of patients reported significant improvement.
The results of MIC can be seen after only a minute or so of treatment in most people.
The range of this
beat frequency
in the Flexistim is 1 to 160Hz
10Hz
12Hz
flexistim instructions final.indd 14-15
27/11/2014 12:06