Interest in microcurrent began with use by professional athletes and Olympians to accelerate the healing of injuries. This led to clinical use in physical therapy, chiropractic and acupuncture practices and eventually led to veterinary medicine. Overtime, manufacturers developed specific microcurrent units for estheticians to enhance skin health and beauty. Like acupuncture, microcurrent has taken a long time to to take hold, but its time has come.
Years ago, I was feeling restless in my practice and decided to substitute for practitioners who went on vacation. I visited about six busy practices a year and followed the practitioner's protocols very carefully so that patients would feel comfortable in my hands. Although there were many differences in the practices such as the number of needles inserted and the length of treatment time, I couldn't help but notice something similar in every practice regarding the treatment of injuries. Aside from taking the pulse or applying pain-relief gels such as arnica at the conclusion of the treatment, there was very little touching of the patient. I remember thinking at the time that this makes sense because acupuncturists focus primarily on moving the subtle energy of the body, the qi.
Although acupuncturists commonly check the pulse, pain levels, range of motion and locate ashi points desirable for treatment, acupuncturists rarely touch the patient more extensively. Overtime, the limited amount of touching of the patient at the injured area felt as if something important was missing from the treatment and I was determined to incorporate more touching into my treatments. The results were extraordinary.
When treating an injury with microcurrent therapy, the practitioner should always engage in a hands-on approach to treatment. Look for levels of guarding and find the discrepancies and muscle compensations. Look to see if there is a difference in muscles from one side to the other. I spend 70% of the time touching the patient even during microcurrent stimulation and work on a patient only after evaluating with my hands. See and feel for yourself and don’t feel completely dependent on what the patient reports. Touch is not only necessary for determining the extent of the injury. Touch connects us to our patients and can be an integral part of the healing process.
Microcurrent therapy is an ideal modality for treating an injury. However, the intensity of the patient’s pain will effect the type of electrotherapy chosen for the initial treatments. For very intense pain, microcurrent is often more effective following an electroacupuncture treatment. Microcurrent augments blood flow at the local tissue invigorating the healing process as injury reduces electrical conductivity at the injured site. Injured tissue requires more blood carrying vital nutrition to the cells and waste products need to be released readily.
For practitioners with a microcurrent device that does not offer a Galvanic Skin Response Meter (GSR) measuring skin conductivity, locating areas of health by touch is crucial for determining probe and pad placement for treatment. Using microcurrent probes, search carefully with your hands for areas of health which are evidenced, for example, smoothness at the skin surface and tissue hydration. These are areas with greater electrical conductivity. The additional use of acupuncture points which are highly conductive act as boosters along the way creating a discreet electrical relay system for moving q.
When the patient is ready for rehabilitation, there are various microcurrent techniques for gently exercising the involved muscles. One technique is massaging the muscle using carbon or silver gloves as the muscle gently moves through its normal range of motion. Another technique is stimulating distal acupuncture points with probes as the muscle moves through its range of motion. For example, stimulating ST-38 for a shoulder issue as the patient gently moves the shoulder in various directions.
Combining micro current locally and acupuncture points distally is an effective strategy. Apply microcurrent to reduce inflammation at the local tissue. Choose high frequencies for inflammation wisely as a little goes a long way giving cells a well needed metabolic boost. Choose low frequencies for tissue healing. Needle distal points such as ST-36 for its anti-inflammatory effect as well as other appropriate distal points to enhance treatment results and overall health.
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