How Does Electro Diagnosis Help In Physiotherapy?

By Author: Dr. Sunny Kim
Total Articles: 2
Comment this article

Electrodiagnostic medicine or EDX is a medical subspecialty that is applied in many branches of medicine including progressive rehabilitation. Physicians use electrophysiologic techniques in order to diagnose and evaluate the condition of their patients and properly treat their diseases, specifically those with neurologic, neuromuscular and/or muscular system disorder(s).

Electrodiagnostic medicine involves the passive recording of the response or electrophysiology of body parts to external stimuli. Did you know our body is actually an electrical generator? your sensory nerves and muscles create electrical signals that your brain picks up to understand your surroundings. Meanwhile, your motor nerves deliver signals from the brain to activate or get your muscles moving.

You will often hear this treatment being used in diagnosing peripheral entrapment neuropathies of people with carpal tunnel syndrome, radiculopathies, myopathies, and myasthenia gravis. However, it is also a common treatment for different types of injuries and diseases ...
... like tendonitis, bursitis, and post-surgical pains.

Techniques such as electrical stimulation are utilized in physical therapy to see if the electrical signals created by the nerves and muscles are slowing down or have stopped. If you are in pain or feeling weak, the physician may use electrical stimulation to measure the speed and degree of electrical activity in your muscles and nerves. Aside from diagnosis, it can also be administered to treat inflammation and to contract muscles that are weak or not functioning well. Through this method, pain and spasm can decrease.

Electrodiagnostic medicine plays a big role in physical therapy. Many physicians and hospitals across the world are utilizing the techniques and approaches of electrodiagnosis in physiotherapy. In fact, in the US, physicians—especially rehabilitation doctors—receive training on electrodiagnostic medicine during their residency. In Europe, nerve conduction studies and electromyography training is not only part of neurology but also of physical medicine and rehabilitation specializations.

Using electrodiagnosis in physiotherapy allows a doctor to perform more detailed evaluations of their patient's condition. This may further include laboratory tests, CT or MRI scans, genetic evaluation, biopsy, and neuromuscular ultrasound.

Numbness, tingling, pain, and weakness are some of the early signs that you need electrodiagnostic medicine. But when looking for a doctor or hospital, choose only those that have wealth of experience and expertise in the field of physiology or rehabilitation.

About the Author:
Dr. Sunny Kim is the founder and president of Progressive Rehabilitation Medicine which was established in Cedar Rapids, IA in 2005 with the mission of offering advanced non-surgical pain management solutions. Dr. Kim is board certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is a Fellow of American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He has special interests in the non-surgical treatment of spine, sports and musculoskeletal pain conditions.

Progressive Rehabilitation Medicine offers different kinds of treatments and therapies in Cedar Rapids. We are specialized in non-surgical approach to heal orthopedic and neurologic disorders. Visit our website for further information.