Accelerating the body’s natural recovery ability
Vitalis Physiotherapy takes pride in providing the most up-to-date, evidence-based treatments using state-of-the art equipment in a comfortable, private and friendly clinic.
Our senior physiotherapists have been educated and properly trained to ensure they have the highest level of knowledge and skills to treat a wide range of conditions.
What is TECAR Therapy?
TECAR (Capacitive Resistive Electric Transference) therapy is a non-ablative, non-invasive form of combined contact diathermy and electrotherapy. It is a medical practice that applies electromagnetic energy to biological tissue increasing your body tissue temperature in combination with subthermal application to promote the body’s natural healing response.
How does TECAR therapy work?
The heat-induced vasodilation, an opening of blood cells to allow increased blood flow, maximises the exchange of substances resulting in drainage of the inflamed area and an influx of reparative cells. TECAR therapy also has pain-resolving properties through its stimulation of endorphin production.
By increasing your body’s tissue temperature, it encourages more blood circulation to the injured area. Your blood has all the good things in it to promote healing, such as white blood cells, which help fight infection and oversee repairs.
Unlike electrotherapy, TECAR Therapy does not provoke muscle contraction. Instead the therapeutic wavelength spectrum ranges from 300 KHz to 1.2 MHz, invoking a gentle warmth both on the skin and within your body’s tissue.
There are two different types of electrodes in use: capacitive and resistive. The usage of the electrodes depends on the depth and type of the area to be treated.
CAPACITIVE
The electromagnetic field is strongest directly under the electrodes.
With capacitive electrodes, the therapeutic target is soft tissue – usually tissue with the
highest water content and high electrical conductance such as the dermis, the lymphatic system, the venous system and muscles.
TECAR therapy has the ability to work at high power without a large temperature increase. Similar to traditional diathermy, the device can operate in pulsed mode, giving the body the time to dissipate the heat produced by the output during the short pause even in an acute injury phase.
Three different pulse-pause ratios can be selected to offer greater flexibility and therefore find the best possible treatment.
RESISTIVE
The electromagnetic field is strongest where the current transfer meets the highest resistance.
With resistive electrodes, the therapeutic target is tissue with the highest electrical
resistance, such as deep muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, cartilage and bones.
TECAR therapy can treat deep into the tissue and can be adjusted to the patient and the treatment area. Our physiotherapists can vary the depth and diffusion of the transmitted energy during a single treatment with the automatic scanning mode. The device will automatically switch to every available frequency, which is particularly useful in the case of multiple treatments with TECAR therapy, as it prevents the tissue from getting used to the single frequency and the therapy from becoming ineffective.
5 different frequencies and autoscan mode extends treatment to a number of pathologies.
How do we apply TECAR therapy?
Our experienced physiotherapist will smooth some conductive cream over the area to be treated then move a hand-held device around that part of your body.
The therapeutic heat penetrates deep into the tissue and you will experience a pleasantly warm feeling. The heat induces vasodilation, an opening of your blood vessels, and stimulates the lymphatic system to dissolve adhesions in the tissue.
During the treatment, the therapist will ask you to score the level of warmth experienced. The therapist uses this information for different reasons:
- The correct WEL (Warmth Experience Level) – score is crucial for reaching the aspired therapeutic goal
- For extra safety, the patient determines the warmth level
What happens after the therapy?
After the therapy, your body starts its natural healing process.
By increasing the amount of blood, and therefore white blood cells, to the injured area, TECAR speeds up your internal healing mechanisms, encouraging your immune cells to begin removing excess fluids and begin tissue repair.
You will also experience muscle relaxation and a warm feeling around the treated area.
Why do patients like TECAR Therapy?
- Extremely well-tolerated
- Pleasant sense of warmth
- Contact between patient and therapist (hands-on therapy)
- Safe and efficient
- Non-invasive
- Treatment starts in the acute phase (48 hrs after injury occurrence)
- Both passive and active exercise therapy
What are the benefits?
TECAR Therapy awakens your body’s natural healing response, helping to heal injured tissue rather than just manage painful symptoms.
The therapy can also help to:
- reduce pain
- improve your range of motion
- improve superficial and deep blood circulation
- improve tissue regeneration
- stimulate venous return
- affects the restorations of metabolic balance activity
- reduce muscle tightness
- release painful trigger points
- improve blood and lymphatic circulation
- regenerate your cells
What are the indications for treatment?
TECAR therapy is mostly used in physical therapy, rehabilitation and pain management for:
- Bruises and sprains
- Post-surgery rehabilitation
- Sports traumas
- Muscle and tendon disorders
- Neuropathies
- Scar tissue
- Spine and peripheral joint disorders
- Vascular and lymphatic system disorders
- Orthopaedic disorders of the peripheral nervous system
- Acute and chronic pain
Contradictions
- Pacemakers and electronic implants
- Pregnancy
- Over tumours
- On skin disorders
Does TECAR Therapy have side effects?
There are no side effects, and TECAR therapy is innocuous to the human body and very pleasant. However, when very high temperatures are reached, particularly for patients with sensitive skin, there can be some transient redness and or tingling in the skin. Our physiotherapist will go through this with you.
If you think TECAR therapy is a good treatment option for you, or you’re looking for a ‘physio near me’, all you need to do is just give us a call on 0410 559 856 and request an initial appointment.
Alternatively, you can book your visit online. Please let our friendly reception staff know the background and severity of your condition.
You can visit our FAQs for more information about appointments at Vitalis Physiotherapy.
How to book an appointment?
