1. Describe the physiological and therapeutic effects of faradic currents.

APR’12 10M
2. Define Faradic current. Write briefly about modified currents and discuss the physiological
effects.APR’18 10M
3. Explain in detail about the production of faradic currents. Add a note on physiological and
therapeutic effects of Faradic currents. MAR’20 10M
4. Describe methods of application of faradic current. OCT’11 10M
5. Describe the physiological and therapeutic effects of faradic current. OCT’13 10M
6. Describe therapeutic effects and uses of faradic current. OCT’11 5M
7. Describe the therapeutic indications for faradic current. APR’12 5M
8. Physiological effects of Faradic Current OCT’17 5M
9. Surged Faradic Currents OCT’19 5M
10. Describe the therapeutic effects and uses of Faradic current APR’13 5M
11. Care of Faradic coils DEC’20 2M
12. Rectification of Faradic Current OCT’17 2M

DEFINITION:

 Short duration interrupted direct current

 Pulse duration- 0.1-1 ms - for stimulation of innervated muscles
 Frequency-50-100 Hz
 The term faradism was previously used to signify type of current produced by first
faradic coil and was unevenly alternating current with each cycle consisting of 2 unequal
phases. 1)Low intensity & long duration 2)high intensity & short duration
 Faradic coils have now been replaced by electric stimulators which have same
physiological effect but differs in waveform.

PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS:

 Stimulation of sensory nerves is not very marked because of the short duration. It causes
reflex vasodilatation of the superficial blood vessels leading to slight erythema. The
vasodilatation occurs only in the superficial tissues.
 Stimulation of the motor nerves, if the current is of sufficient intensity, causes contraction of
the muscle which they supplied by the nerve distal to the point of stimulus.
 The contraction is titanic because the stimulus repeated 50 times or more/s if this type is
maintained for more than short time, muscle fatigue is occurred. So the current is commonly
surged to allow for muscle relaxation .
 Stimulation of the nerve is due to producing a change in the semi–permeability of the cell
membrane by altering the resting membrane potential, when it reaches a critical excitatory
level, the muscle supplied by the nerve is activated to contract.
 Faradic currents will not stimulate denervated muscle. The nerve supply must be intact to
stimulate the muscle.
 Reduce swelling and pain.

THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS:

 Reduces Edema
 Control Actue & Chronic Pain
 Reduce & Inhibits Muscle Spasm
 Facilitates Tissue Healing
 Facilitates Muscle Re-eduation
 Strengthen Muscles
 Stimulation of The Innervated Muscle

MODIFIED CURRENTS:

 surging of faradic type of current

 Faradic currents are always surged for treatment purpose.
 It produce near normal tetanic contractions and relaxation of muscles.
 The current is surged so that the intensity of successive impulses increase gradually,
each impulse reaching a peak value greater than preceding one.
 Then falling either suddenly or gradually

PRODUCTION:

 Faradic current can be produced either from:

A. Faradic coil or smart Bristow coil
B. Thermionic apparatus
 A. Faradic coil (Smart Bristow coil)
It is a portable apparatus in which a dry battery is placed to supply the apparatus with a
galvanic current which is transformed in the apparatus to a faradic current for the patient.
Recent types of Bristow coils can be worked with all sorts of currents (AC, DC, or from the
battery)
 B. The thermionic apparatus
It is a modern apparatus for the production of faradic current do not contain a faradic coil.
The faradic current is produced through a thermionic grid glow tube which works smoothly
and produce no noise while in action.

METHODS OF APPLICATION:

 Monopolar technique (for small muscles):

Active electrode (cathode) on the muscle belly slightly distally. Inactive electrode (anode) is
kept away from the muscle on the opposite side of the part.
 Bipolar technique (for large muscles):
two electrodes on the either end of the muscle belly, cathode is generally placed at the
distal end.

TECHNIQUES OF APPLICATION:

 Motor point stimulation

 Group muscle stimulation
Motor Point Stimulation:
This method has an advantage that each muscle performs its own individual action & that
the optimum contraction of each can be obtained
Selected when training a new muscle action or when isolation of one muscle is indicated;
e.g. vastus medialis may be stimulated to overcome a quadriceps lag, or abductor hallucis
for muscle weakness
Group Muscle Stimulation
Stimulation which makes all the muscles of a group work together
Satisfactory method of re-educating the action of muscles which normally work as a group,
such as quadriceps, the small muscles of the foot, and muscles of pelvic floor
 USES:

 General toning linked to a combined treatment course

 Strengthen weak muscles
 After childbirth - GP approval, usually after 6week check up Improve posture
 Body maintenance
 After or during dieting
 Reshaping specific areas

INDICATIONS:

1. Facilitation of muscle contraction:

When a patient unable to produce muscle contraction or finds it difficult to do, electrical
stimulation assist in voluntary contraction.
Muscle contraction - excitation of small efferent fibres, which causes contraction of the
intrafusal muscle fibers. - stretching of the muscle spindle which stimulates the primary
nerve endings and therefore sends information to the large anterior horn cells causing
excitation of extrafusal muscle fibres- inhibition of the anterior horn cells supplying the
antagonistic muscle group
Electrical stimulation of motor neurons reduce pain inhibition so, facilitate transmission of
voluntary impulses to muscle and induce relaxation of antagonists.
2. Re-education of muscle action:
Inability to contract muscle voluntarily due to long illness or prolonged disuse, faradic
stimulation is used to produce contraction so to restore the sense of movement.
The brain appreciates the movements not the muscle actions, so the current should be
applied in such a way that it causes the movement that the patient is unable to perform.
Active contractions should be attempted at the same time as stimulation.
3. Training a new muscle action:
After tendon transplantation or reconstruction surgery, a muscle required to perform
different action.
With faradic stimulation new action is performed and patient can concentrate on new
movement by doing voluntary contraction with stimulation.
4. Neuropraxia :
Impulses from the brain are unable to pass the site of the lesion to reach the muscles
supplied by the affected nerve. i.e. no degeneration of the nerve.
So if it is stimulated with faradism below the site of lesion, impulses pass to the muscles,
causing them to contract.
5. Severed motor nerve :
Degeneration takes several days, and for a few days after the injury a muscle contraction
may be obtained with the faradic current.
Faradic current is used to exercise the muscles.
6. Improved venous and lymphatic drainage:
Increased venous and lymphatic return by pumping action of alternate muscle contraction,
relaxation and joint movement.
7. Prevention and loosening of adhesions:
If adequate exercise is not possible, stimulation is used for muscle contraction to stretch and
loosen the adhesions.

SURGED FARADIC CURRENTS:

  Trapezoidal Surging: Impulses increases slowly, maintained there for sometime & decreases
gradually forming trapezoidal shape

 Triangular Surging: Impulses increases & decreases gradually forming triangular shape
 Saw-tooth: Impulses increases gradually but suddenly falls
 Rectangular: Impulses increases rapidly, maintained there for sometime & falls abruptly

CARE OF FARADIC COILS

RECTIFICATION OF FARADIC CURRENT