Functional electrical stimulation is the most important application in the field of clinical treatment with currents or magnetism. This technique artificially generates neural activity in order to overcome lost functions of the paralized, incontinent or sensory handicapped patient. Electricity and magnetism is also used in many cases, e.g., to stimulate bone growth or wound healing. Nevertheless, the basic mechanism of the artificial excitation of nerve and muscle fibers has become known only in the last few years. Although many textbooks are concerned with the natural excitation process there is a lack of information on the influence of an applied electrical or magnetic field. This book, written for students and biomedical engineers, should close the gap and, furthermore, it should stimulate the design of new instrumentation using optimal strategies.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a technique that delivers mild electrical currents across the intact surface of the skin to reduce pain. TENS is used by practitioners throughout the world to manage painful conditions and TENS equipment can be purchased by the general public so that they can self-administer treatment. There are thousands of experimental and clinical research studies published on TENS and related techniques yet there is uncertainty about the best way to administer TENS in clinical practice. This is because currents used during TENS can be administered in a variety of ways and the findings of research studies have been inconclusive. This book provides guidance on how best to use TENS based on an evaluation of current research evidence. The book covers what TENS is, how it works, and safe and appropriate clinical techniques for many conditions including chronic low back pain, osteoarthritis and cancer pain. It also offers solutions to the problems faced by researchers when trying to design clinical trials on TENS. Accessibility written, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) provides a comprehensive coverage of research issues and findings about TENS and will be essential reading for healthcare professionals, practitioners and students.

Abundant evidence indicates that TENS can be used effectively to alleviate certain pain syndromes. For patients suffering from chronic musculo-skeletal pain in particular, TENS offers an alternative means of pain management. This book addresses the need among physiotherapists for a practical manual on the application of this relatively new technique. Numerous illustrations provide guidelines for the choice of stimulation parameters, the selection of electrode positions, as well as other aspects related to technique. A brief introduction to the neurophysiological mechanisms of pain and the pain-relieving effects of TENS is also given. These special features make this comprehensive presentation of particular interest to physiotherapists and clinicians actively engaged in the management of patients suffering from pain.

Focused on rotations in regional anesthesia and chronic pain, this book provides a structured review of the concepts covered in the American Board of Anesthesiology in-training exam. The first section of the book covers regional anesthesia with dedicated chapters on basic science, acute postoperative pain, and nerve blocks for neuraxial, lower and upper extremity blocks, and head and neck. The second section on chronic pain includes chapters on basic science and common pain conditions - including craniofacial pain, CRPS, neuropathic pain, and cancer pain. This section closes on multimodal analgesia and other treatment approaches. Each chapter presents a common clinical topic and is organized by indications, preparation, technique, complication, prevention, clinical pearls, and related ABA key points. Highlights must-know information in bold throughout the text. Concise, practical, and easy-to-read, this book will aid anesthesiology residents, certified nurse anesthetists, and medical students in their study regarding patient care practices on regional anesthesia and chronic pain. The book will also be useful to residents going into regional anesthesia and pain medicine subspecialties during the year of their anesthesiology training.

The first evidence that electrical changes can cause muscles to contract was p- vided by Galvani (1791). Galvani’s ideas about ‘animal electricity’ were explored during the 19th and 20th century when it was firmly established that ‘electricity’ is one of the most important mechanisms used for communication by the nervous system and muscle. These researches lead to the development of ever more soph- ticated equipment that could either record the electrical changes in nerves and muscles, or elicit functional changes by electrically stimulating these structures. It was indeed the combination of these two methods that elucidated many of the basic principles about the function of the nervous system. Following these exciting findings, it was discovered that electrical stimulation and the functions elicited by it also lead to long-term changes in the properties of nerves and particularly muscles. Recent findings help us to understand the mec- nisms by which activity induced by electrical stimulation can influence mature, fully differentiated cells, in particular muscles, blood vessels and nerves. Electrically elicited activity determines the properties of muscle fibres by activating a sequence of signalling pathways that change the gene expression of the muscle. Thus, elect- cal activity graduated from a simple mechanism that is used to elicit muscle c- traction, to a system that could induce permanent changes in muscles and modify most of its characteristic properties.

This groundbreaking volume is the first text devoted to psychogenic movement disorders. Co-published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and the American Academy of Neurology, the book contains the highlights of an international, multidisciplinary conference on these disorders and features contributions from leading neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, physiatrists, and basic scientists. Major sections discuss the phenomenology of psychogenic movement disorders from both the neurologist's and the psychiatrist's viewpoint. Subsequent sections examine recent findings on pathophysiology and describe current diagnostic techniques and therapies. Also included are abstracts of 16 seminal free communications presented at the conference.

Tips, Techniques, and Step-by-Step Color Photos to Get the Most Out of Your TENS Unit Pain can hinder every aspect of your life, making even the simplest of tasks unbearable. Instead of endlessly ingesting only partially effective over-the-counter painkillers or turning to dangerously addictive opioids from your doctor, there is now a powerful at-home alternative solution: TENS. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) units can decrease acute and chronic pain while significantly reducing, or even eliminating, the need for medication. For beginners to more advanced users, this book has solutions for everyone. It offers not only an overview of how the units work, but also how to properly place the electrodes and how much power to use to get the best results for various injuries and ailments throughout the body, including: Upper and Lower Back Pain Neck and Shoulder Tightness Hamstring and Calf Strains Fibromyalgia Peripheral Neuropathy Tension Headaches