Short Wave

Diathermy
By
Pallavi Chogale
Pranali Mahajan
 INTRODUCTION
Diathermy is a Greek
word meaning
through heating.
Diathermies are of
following types:
•Short wave diathermy
•Pulsed short wave
diathermy
•Microwave diathermy
Short wave diathermy
Short wave diathermy is the use of high frequency
electromagnetic waves to generate heat in the body
tissue.
The frequency is between 1o⁷ to 10⁸ Hz.
The wavelength is between 30 and 3m.
The therapeutically used frequency and wavelength
are 27.12Mhz and 11m.
The less common frequencies and wavelengths are
40.68Mhz &7.5m and 13.56Mhz &22m.
Principles
It is not possible to produce high frequency currents
by some mechanical device which produces sufficient
rapid movements.
This type if current can only be produced by
discharging a condenser through an inductance of a
low ohmic resistance.
If a current of very high frequency is required, the
capacitance & inductance should be small.
And if a current of low frequency is required the
capacitance & inductance should be large.
Swd apparatus
•Construction: the
system consists of 2
circuits:
The machine
circuit
The patient circuit
Working
The AC from mains passes through primary coils and emf is induced in secondary
coils.
Emf of step down transformer- 20-25 volts. Produces current through filament of
valve which is heated and thermionic emission takes place.
Emf of step up transformer- about 4000 volts. Current flows in Anode circuit,
provided that anode valve is positive and filament is negative.
Electrons flow from filament to anode .through oscillator coil indirection C to D
and to transformer back to filament.
The electrons in CD will induce emf in coil AB such that the electrons move to grid
of valve making it –ve thus blocking the flow of electrons from filament. Leads to
dying of current in Anode circuit.
This will lead to self-induces emf charging condenser X(+ve) and Y(-ve) polarity
opposite to earlier one.
When this self-induces current dies, condenser discharges again through oscillator
coil but in opposite direction.
Electron move from A to B and grid loses its negativity and anode current flows
again.
This continuous charging and discharging produces high frequency current (SWD)
GRID LEAK: when the current flows across the valve
some electrons are caught on the grid and grid leak is
provided to enable these electrons to escape back to the
filament.
The resonator coil (EF) lies within the varying magnetic
field set up around the oscillatory coil, so provided that
the to circuits are in resonance high frequency current is
induced in it. The current is similar to that in oscillator
circuit and is supplied to the patient
Physiological effects
Effects on metabolism of the body
Effects due to increased blood supply
Effects of heat on the nervous tissues
Effects of heat on the muscular tissue
Effects of heat on the sweat glands
Therapeutic uses
Effects on inflammation
Effects in bacterial infections
Relief of pain
Effects on muscle tissue
Traumatic conditions
Reducing healing time
Principles of application
The application is based on mainly the following factors:
Size of the electrode
Spacing of the electrodes
Positioning of the electrodes
 Co-planar positioning: used over larger area of body, e.g spine.
 Contra-planar positioning: used for structures where through and
through heating is required, e.g hip jt.
 Mono-polar method: only one electrode is placed on the treatment
area and the other is placed at a distant site or mot used at all.
 Cross-fire technique: half of the treatment is given in one direction
and the other half in the other direction. e.g knee jt, sinuses.
Heating pattern
Capacitor field method
 Electric field is produced which produces heat in tissue of low impedance
and is particularly used for superficial heating.
Cable method
 Electrostatic field: heating is more in superficial tissue and those of low
impedance, also some heating is obtained in deeply placed structures of high
impedance if suitable placing is done.
 Magnetic field:
 If the cable is coiled around the material of high impedance, e.g fat, the
electric field predominates which is used for deep heating.
 The eddy currents set up by the magnetic field at the centre of the cable are
used while treating an area of low impedance, e.g blood, particularly for
superficial heating.
 Both effects can be utilized at the same time if the whole cable is arranged in
relationship to the patient’s tissue.
TECHNIQUES OF APPPLICATION
There are 2 methods:
I. Capacitor field method
Electrodes placed on either side of skin
Electrodes act as capacitor plates
Patients tissues along with the insulating
material form the dielectric
When current is applied, rapidly alternating charges
are set up on the electrodes giving rise to rapidly
alternating currents between them influencing the
material between them
I. Inductothermy
In this method a insulated cable is used for
treatment
Both electric and magnetic fields are achieved by
used of this method
When high frequency current oscillates in the
cable, a varying electrostatic field is set up between
its ends and a varying magnetic field around its
centre
Electrostatic field-at end of cable, superficial heating
and those of low impedance
Deeply placed structures of high impedance if suitable
placing is
TYPES OF ELECTRODES
• INDUCTIVE METHOD
• Electrode is a thick wire covered in thick rubber
insulator
• In this,most commonly an inductive coil applicator
maybe used(circuplode,megaplode)
• S.W.D. cable is precoiled and encased in an insulated
drum
CAPACITIVE METHOD

• Rigid malleable electrodes

• Flexible or malleable electrodes encased in thick
rubber
Dosage
Done in four grades
- Moderate heating
- Minimal perceptible heating
- Mild heating
 Imperceptible heating
Dosage must have an intensity to cause sufficient warmth
of tissues
20-30min
Treatment maybe given alternate or daily
Acute – low intensity, more frequently, for less time.
ASSESSEMENT OF PATIENT
• RECEIVING OF PATIENT
• HISTORY TAKING OR GOING THRUOGH THE CASE SHEET
• CHECKING FOR GENERAL CONTRAINDICATIONS
• CHECKING FOR LOCAL CONTRAINDICATIONS
• PREPARATION OF TRAY
• PREPARATION OF APPARTUS
• GAINING CONFIDENCE OF THE PATIENT
• POSITIONING THE PATIENT
• PREPARATION OF THE PATIENT
• POSITIONING OF THE ELECTRODES
• APPLICATION
• TERMINATION
• RECORD
• HOME INSTRUCTIONS
DANGERS OF SWD
Burns
Cardiac pacemakers and indwelling stimulators
The eye
Overweight or obese patients
Overdose
Faintness
Precipitation of gangrene
Scalds
Electric shock
Precipitation of gangrene
Faintness and giddiness
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Pacemakers
Metal implants
Impaired thermal sensations
Metal on surface
Pregnancy
Ischaemic tissues
Malignant tumors
Open wounds
Tumors
Epileptic patients
Unconscious patients
Uncooperative patients
Mentally unstable patients
Children
PULSED S.W.D
Output can be pulsed like other modalities eg.
Ultrasound
This is done by adding a gating circuit in the circuit of
continuos S.W.D.
Each pulse is a burst of sinusodal current
-1 second -> 27.12x10⁶ cycles
-1µs-> 27.12cycles
Pulsed swd helps in acceleration of
tissue healing
It also helps in enhancement of nerve
regeneration
Acute soft tissue injuries ie. Acute
ankle sprains have been treated with
marked benefits
Pressure ulcers and chronic back pain
have been successfully treated
Nerve regeneration
LOW POWER PULSED HIGH FREQUENCY ENERGY

• They generate pulses at a tiny fraction of the power

• Created by interrupting output of continues swd at
regular intervals
• Pulse freq is between 25pps to 600 pps (65 )
• Pulse width is between 20 to 40 μs
• Applicators are placed close to skin
• Encourage healing of wounds
• Used for long duration
KILOHERTZ FREQUENCY DEVICES
Generate alternating fields at freq. of hundreds of KHz
Superficial effects
Produce local heating through a pair of metal
electrodes to the skin
REFERENCES
Textbook of electrotherapy – jagmohan singh
Claytons electrotherapy
www.electrotherapy.org
Electrotherapy explained- John Low, Ann Reed
2000
THANK YOU