Basic concepts in electricity and electrotherapy

Abstract

Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a medical treatment. Although electrotherapy has been a component of clinical practice since the early days, its delivery has changed remarkably and continues to do so. Modern electrotherapy practice needs to be evidence based and used appropriately. The electrotherapy modalities involve the introduction of some physical energy into a biological system. Every living cell has a membrane potential, with the inside of the cell being negative relative to its external surface. In this chapter, the fundamental concepts of electricity and the basis of electrotherapy were discussed. The role of stimulation parameters for electrotherapies was also discussed.