Does intereferential therapy affect blood flow?

Abstract

Interferential therapy (IT) is an electrothrapeutic technique widely used in physiotherapy departments to treat pain and soft-tissue injuries. It has been suggested that IT has a dose-related effect on blood flow, and as such, can be used in the management of a variety of circulatory disorders. There is no satisfactory evidence to support these claims. The aim of this study was to establish noninvasive methods of measuring the response of the arterial and microcirculation concomitantly; and to document the circulatory response in the adult human volunteer. Three frequencies of IT were tested (0-30 Hz, 45-90 Hz and 100-150 Hz). The results suggest that IT currents can be used to increase arterial and microcirculatory blood flow; and that the response is dose-related.

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