Interferential Therapy

What is Interferential Therapy?

Interferential Therapy is an effective therapy option that is used for relieving pain by accelerating the self-healing process. It can be beneficial in treating muscle spasms and strains since mid-frequency electrical signals are sent to penetrate through the skin into deeper-lying muscle tissues. Interferential current therapy has been in use for many years and has been proven to be very useful in achieving a pain-free and healthy physical condition.

What are the types of IFT?

Vector effect

The interference field is rotated to an angle of 450 in each direction, the field thus covers a wider area. This is useful in diffuse pathology or if the site of the lesion cannot be accurately localized.

Frequency swings

Some equipment allows a variation in the speed of the frequency swing. A rhythmic mode may be a continuous swing from 0 to 100 Hz in 5-10s and back in a similar time or it may hold for 1-6s at one frequency followed by 1-6s at another frequency with a variable time to swing between the two.

Constant frequency

Some treatments may be carried out with the interference fixed at a certain frequency. Rhythmic frequency is useful if several types of tissues are to be treated at once. A variation in the frequency also overcomes the problem of tissue accommodation where the response of a particular tissue decreases with time.

Frequency sweep

The principle of using the sweep is that the machine is set to automatically vary the stimulation frequency, it uses either pre-set or user-set sweep ranges. The sweep range should be appropriate to the desired physiological effects.

The pattern of the sweep makes a significant difference in the stimulation received by the patient. Most machines offer several sweep patterns:

• Triangular sweep pattern.
• Bruising around the knee, especially around the inner knee.
• Rectangular Sweep Pattern.
• Trapezoidal Sweep Pattern.

In the ‘triangular’ sweep pattern, the machine gradually changes from the base to the top frequency, for 6 seconds. Although some machines offer 1 or 3-second options. All frequencies between the base and top frequencies are delivered in equal proportion.

Rectangular sweep is a different stimulation pattern in which the base and top frequencies are set, but the machine then ‘switches’ between these two specific frequencies rather than gradually changing from one to the other

One will deliver a full range of stimulation frequencies between the set frequency levels and the other will switch from one frequency to the other. The ‘trapezoidal’ sweep is effectively a combination of these two.

How does it work?

In this therapy, the pads connected to the Interferential Current device are placed on the injured body part and a current is passed around the area of pain. The electrical impulses transmitted through your skin start stimulating the secretion of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, thus relaxing the strained muscles and promoting soft-tissue healing. Interferential Therapy is given to patients for 15 minutes in a single session.

Conditions(IFT used in)

• Muscle pain
• Joint pain
• Muscle weakness
• Osteoarthritis
• Ankylosis spondylitis

• Frozen shoulder
• Low back pain
• Chondromalacia
• Brachial neuralgia
• Sciatica

Benefits of Interferential Therapy:

• An effective therapy recommended by experts to treat chronic pain
• Stimulates the body’s natural hormone for fast healing
• The safest method to reduce or eliminate your pain
• Helps in improving lost or restricted movement and coordination
• Visible difference in the decrease of swelling or inflammation