Device and Equipment
The English term biofeedback literally means biological feedback — a signal about how the body is functioning. It is a technique with which you can learn to control certain functions of your body. Biofeedback requires sensors that collect information about your body. Based on the feedback received, you can make fine adjustments, for example relaxing certain muscles to reduce pain.
The treatment performed with a muscle stimulation device is electrical muscle stimulation (EMS = electrical muscle stimulation). It is a method suitable for treating voluntarily controlled, so-called striated (skeletal) muscles and does not affect the viscera (intestines, internal organs). You can apply it to any muscle that lies close to the body surface and to which you can deliver an electrical impulse directly. For deeper-layer muscles it is therefore less applicable. In this article I explain the general rules of application so that you can successfully use it on almost any muscle of your body.
ETS is a modern and effective electrotherapy treatment method. It is primarily used to recover lost functions. Examples include improving or eliminating incontinence and relearning movement after paralysis caused by stroke.
The term biofeedback refers to the detection of biological processes using technical equipment. Here I present one such device. The SineBravo is an electromyography (EMG)-based biofeedback device. It measures the electrical potential changes (EMG) that occur during muscle contractions and converts them into visible and/or audible signals. It can detect a muscle contraction even when the contraction is so slight that it is not visible. The SineBravo is not a diagnostic EMG, but a two-channel biofeedback device that, by continuously monitoring muscle activity, provides substantial help in performing rehabilitation exercises.
The Dolito is a two-channel TENS device optimized for relieving acute and chronic pain. It only has pain relief programs. In addition to constant-frequency (traditional and endorphin) TENS programs, it also provides a modulated (variable-parameter) program. Thus it can be used effectively not only for acute pains lasting 2–3 days, but also for osteoarthritis, arthritis, tennis elbow, tendon inflammations, rheumatic complaints, etc.
“Health is not everything, but without health everything is nothing” – says a Chinese proverb. The problem is that you usually only understand this when your health is lost. Unfortunately, many still do not. Most live in the belief that restoring health is the doctor's job. They are convinced that if they take a few pills or undergo an operation, they can continue to harm their body for decades as they did before the illness. This is a complete misunderstanding of healthcare and the role of doctors. The patient expects something they cannot get from them. Why? That is what this article is about, and also about how medical technology finds its way into homes.
TENS means nerve stimulation through the skin. The nerve pathways that transmit pain signals to the brain can be stimulated through the skin with electrical impulses, and with continued stimulation the nerve fibers eventually “tire out” and the transmission of the pain signal is interrupted — this is how pain-free status can be achieved.
The majority of people do not know exactly what a medical device designed for home use is. Even less do they know which device is for what and how to use it. Many buy such devices, but because they do not get informed in time, they expect effects the device cannot deliver. Let's start from the basics!
Are you an athlete? Do you feel it's time to take up muscle stimulation to improve your performance like your competitors? It's worth looking around the market! There are few manufacturers whose devices are truly usable. In Europe Compex and Globus are the two best-known manufacturers, but recently the Italian iTech and the German MTR+ also want to break into the "serious" sports muscle stimulator market. It's just as hard to find your way among the devices as it is among cameras, for example. I've known the devices for about 10 years and have tried every model. Read my summary opinion!
PeroBravo is a versatile stimulator device with 20 different programs that the patient can use at home without the presence of a physician. Its main application area is the treatment of peripheral paralysis of varying severity. Thanks to a special foot sensor it is suitable for treating peroneal nerve palsy and the resulting gait disorder (foot drop).
Ultrasound is excellent for cosmetic purposes. It can deliver the active ingredients of cosmetics into the deeper layers of the skin, which enhances the effect of these agents. I discuss this in the eighth episode of my film series on therapeutic ultrasound treatment. You can watch the previous episode (Determining the time required for an effective ultrasound treatment) by clicking here.
Cavitation is one effect of ultrasound treatment, primarily used for cosmetic purposes. Low-frequency ultrasound beams "bombard" fat cells, causing the cell membrane to rupture and the fat to be released. With 10–14 treatments you can lose about 2–3 cm in circumference on the abdomen, hips, thighs, etc. It should be noted, however, that only ultrasound frequencies below 640 kHz have a meaningful cavitation effect.
