Uses of Electrical Stimulation

Abstract

I became interested in physical therapy and especially electric stimulation during my senior year in high school. In a varsity football game I sustained an injury to my right knee, which caused my kneecap to become dislocated. Luckily nothing was severely damaged, but the dislocation caused the knee to swell to twice the normal size. To try to tame the inflammation, the school's athletic trainer met me at her place of employment four times a week for treatment. My treatment involved some electrical stimulation and then progressed to knee exercises for strengthening. In four days my knee was at about 70% capacity with very little inflammation around the knee. This injury introduced me to physical therapy, electrical stimulation and the different techniques used to treat patients. The treatment of my knee has stimulated my interest in becoming a physical therapist and to learn what electrical stimulation can do for treatment of inflammation as well as other physical problems. Kalamazoo College has given me an opportunity to participate in an internship with one of the best physical therapists in the Lansing area and also to research documents in the area of my interest, electrical stimulation. So with this research paper, I will explain the history of electrical stimulation up to the present time and where I believe it could go in the future. Also, I will explain the treatment of Carl Weaver's patients who received electrical stimulation, how this has helped them, and tie their personal treatment cases into the research paper. The concept of treating someone without invasive surgery is fascinating and exciting, which is what makes the blend of electrical stimulation and physical therapy such a great combination.