Physical Therapy Electrical Stimulation During Pregnancy

Talk to your health care provider about incorporating physical therapy into your prenatal care.

Physical therapy electrical stimulation during pregnancy. Electrical stimulation is a type of physical therapy modality used to accomplish various tasks in physical therapy pt. However there are many other treatments that can help. Many physical therapists use physical modalities like ultrasound or electrical stimulation to treat back pain. E stim is usually.

Tens is a method of electrical stimulation which primarily aims to provide a degree of symptomatic pain relief by exciting sensory nerves and thereby stimulating either the pain gate mechanism and or the opioid system. I was pregnant in december of last year 2006 and miscarried in march of this year. To compare the efficiency of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation tens with those of exercise and acetaminophen for the treatment of pregnancy related low back pain lbp during the third trimester of pregnancy. There should be no modalities used such as ultrasound or electric stimulation as those are contraindicated with being pregnant.

I had the initial surgery last year. If you have an injury or illness that causes pain or limited functional mobility your physical therapist may use electrical stimulation or e stim as one part of your rehabilitation program. Pregnancy physical therapy can be useful for remedying common discomforts like back pain or for enhancing your body s ability to have a smoother pregnancy and birth. Physical therapy is not just for recovery.

Some treatments in physical therapy can address these aches and pains during your pregnancy. 1 unwanted uterine contractions are the primary risk associated with e stim. 33 34 however a survey of sacral neuromodulation snm in pregnant women showed that. 1 clinicians should avoid most forms of electrical stimulation over the low back pelvis or abdomen during pregnancy.

I am in physical therapy 4 5 days a week for post operative care after a shoulder injury. Pregnancy physical therapy physical. The different methods of applying tens relate to these different physiological mechanisms. Because the effects of electrical stimulation during pregnancy are unknown both the device manufacturer medtronic minneapolis mn and the international urogynecologic association recommend turning off the device when planning pregnancy or during pregnancy.

Therefore other treatments should be considered. This prospective study included 79 subjects 32 gestational weeks with visual analog scale vas pain scores 5. Electrical stimulation e stim is a physical therapy treatment that uses mild electrical pulses to help repair injured muscles manipulate nerves and reduce your pain. 2 5 the effect of electrical current on a developing fetus is uncertain and clinicians should use extra caution when considering the potential.

But using these treatments during pregnancy may not be safe for you or your unborn child.