Interferential

Therapy
 Indications Of
Interferential Therapy

• IFT is commonly used for pain relief, relief of muscle spasm ,improve the
venous and lymphatic drainage

• Conditions like
• Osteoarthritis
• Spondylosis
• Low back pain
• Frozen shoulder
• Chondromalacia
• Sciatica
• phantom pain
• Bursitis
• tendonities
 CONTRAINDICATIONS
1. Cardiac pacemaker
2. Advanced cardiac disease
3. Hypertension
4. Thrombosis
5. Hemorrhage
6. Pregnancy
7. Neoplasm
8. T b
9. Fever
10. Infections
11. The eyes
12. Skin disorders
13. Epiphyseal region in children
 PRECAUTIONS
● IFT apparatus must be at least 6 meters away from
SWD machine
● Patients with febrile conditions
● Epileptic patients
● Over anterior chest wall
 Dosiometry
• Interferential therapy can be applied for 10 to 20 minutes for 10 to 25 days
on once a day basis.
• Usually the intensity, which produce a strong but comfortable pricking
sensations without any discomfort is used.
• Alternatively three times toleration dose (TTD Dose )can be used.
• There T dose is used in treating localized condition that is tender and is to
be an anesthezied.
• Place the electrodes, increase the intensity so as to give intense prickling,
once the intense prickling sensation is reduced, increase the intensity once
again so as to get intense prickling and repeat the same once again so as to
treat the area three times with strong prickling.
 Techniques
• IFT can applied by means of bipolar, quadripolar, stereo dynamic and
labile method.
• In bipolar method only two electrodes are used .
• It is said that in case of bipolar method, medium frequency currents are
added to given an output similar to interferential current.
• This mode of treatment is sometimes known as electrokinesy.
• In quadripolar method four electrodes are used.
• In stereo dynamic systems three pairs of electrodes are used and the
machine provides three out puts.
• It reduces accommodation and provides the dimensional interferential
field.
• In labile method two labile electrodes are used for the treatment purpose
and operator moves them during the treatment.
Bipolar Method
Quadripolar Method
Electrodes Placement: Elbow
Electrodes Placement: Knee

Sreeraj S R
14
Sreeraj S R
15
Electrodes Placement: Shoulder
Electrodes Placement: Low Back
 Usage
• 1. Pain relief
• 2. Relief of muscle spasm
• 3. Stimulation of innervated muscle
• 4. Reduction of edema
 Pain relief

• IFC is commonly used for electro- analgesia in various musculoskeletal

condition.
• Exact mechanism of pain relief by IFT is not known,.
• Pain relief may occur as a result of removal of irritant or pain substances.
• IFC can stimulate autonomic nerves, which results in vasodilatation and
improved circulation.
• Improved circulation can remove the waste products or pain substance
from the site of application.
• Alternatively pain relief may be due to release of endorphins or due to
activation of pain gate mechanism.
• Pain relief may also occur due to placebo effect.
 Relief of muscle spasm

IFT can bring about the relief of muscle spasm.

 Stimulation of innervated muscle

• IFC can stimulate the deeply situated muscles, as it is like a low frequency
current.
 Reduction of edema

• IFC can improve the drainage of blood and lymph.

• This effect can be used in the treatment of edema.