Hako-Med Bioelectric Therapy
Advanced “Horizontal Therapy” extends the effects of standard electrotherapy by simultaneously stimulating the body’s electrical and chemical healing responses.
What you can expect:
• One of the most advanced devices in the field of electromedicine
• Relieve pain and promote healing and recovery of musculoskeletal injuries
• Unlike traditional forms of electrotherapy, it results in successful stimulation of both electrical and chemical healing processes–not just one
• Stimulating the release of natural enzymes and other tissue-building cells in your body
In our office we use cutting-edge technology to further advance the exciting new field we call Regenerative Functional Medicine. The PRO ElecDT 2000 is an example as it is one of the most advanced devices in the field of electromedicine today. Through the use of this highly innovative technology, Dr. Gilliland is able to apply the internationally patented treatment, Horizontal Therapy (HT), which extends the effects of standard electrotherapy by not only relieving pain, but also promoting healing and recovery from musculoskeletal injuries (1,8).
The majority of clinics still utilize traditional electrotherapy, but very few have this more advanced HT therapy.
The PRO ElecDT 2000 was designed, developed, and manufactured by the German electromedical company, Hako-Med. The company’s founder and inventor of HT, Dr. Achim Hansjürgens, has worked in the electromedical field for over 30 years, influencing the development of the common electrotherapy, Interferential Current Therapy (IFC). Hako-Med provides physical therapists, chiropractors, clinics, and hospitals with HT electrotherapy devices all over the world (2).
Bioelectric Horizontal Therapy: How does it work and why is it unique?
The human body is made up of cells that constantly undergo electrical and chemical processes in order for the body to function properly as a whole. These processes go hand in hand, propagating or inhibiting each other when necessary. Some examples include energy production, muscular contractions, and the transmission of nerve signals. At a cellular level, electrotherapy is ultimately used to stimulate these electrical and chemical processes to relieve pain or prompt tissue healing.
HT is a revolutionary form of treatment because it results in successful stimulation of these electrical and chemical processes at the applied area, whereas traditional electrotherapies are able to result in only one of these effects at a time (5). Peripheral nerves transmit sensory information from our limbs and organs to our central nervous system (i.e. spinal cord and brain), allowing us to interpret and understand experiences from the outside world through the phenomenon of sensations. This is how we perceive pain. The basis for electrotherapy, called the Gate Control Theory, states “pain signals are not free to reach the brain as soon as they are generated at the injured tissues or sites. They need to encounter certain ‘neurological gates’ at the spinal cord level and these gates determine whether the pain signals should reach the brain or not.”
In other words, during HT, the electricity generated and applied at the site of injury overrides the pain signals with “non-pain” signals, thus “closing” the gateway to the brain that would otherwise perceive pain (6).
PRO ElecDT 2000 differentiates itself from traditional electrotherapy devices in its ability to maintain a constant intensity while simultaneously varying the frequencies of its currents. By varying its alternating, medium-frequency currents, electrical changes occur at the skin and within the body, resulting in the alleviation of pain. In conjunction with the fluctuations of frequency, a constant intensity allows for stimulation at a biochemical level and thus furthering the healing process (5,7).
HT has also been shown to promote healing within damaged tissues by stimulating the release of natural enzymes and other tissue-building cells in the body.
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Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee exhibited significantly less joint stiffness and levels of disability after two weeks of HT compared to the group that received standard treatment (ultrasound-guided aspiration and corticosteroid injection) (1).
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A study conducted to verify the efficacy of HT found that, in addition to the significant decrease in pain, 89.2% of cases experienced a visible decrease of swelling (5).
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In a study comparing the effects of HT and IFC in patients with shoulder injuries associated with arthrosynovitis, 60-80% of participants in the HT groups experienced complete disappearance of inflammation and statistically significant reductions in pain throughout and after treatment (4).
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200 patients with low back pain caused by osteoporotic vertebral fractures participated in a HT treatment study. When compared to the IFC treatment group, those who received HT experienced greater decreases in pain and more significant improvements in functional mobility during and up to three months after treatment (8).
These studies suggest HT results in pain relief and in the endogenous release of anti-inflammatory cells, notably, in the absence of anti-inflammatory drugs (5).
After one treatment of HT, patients have often likened its effects to an “oil change” due to its promotion of cellular metabolism, tissue repair properties, and blood circulation (3).
With Hako-Med’s novel electromedical device, our medical professionals at Pacific Coast Sports Medicine give patients top-tier treatment that is not common to most physical therapy, chiropractic, or orthopedic groups. HT is a safe, effective treatment that is preferred over traditional forms of electrotherapy (1,7,8). If you are osteoporotic, have acute or chronic pain, have recently suffered a musculoskeletal injury, or are recovering from surgery, HT may benefit you.
References:
Di Sante I, Paoloni M, Dimaggio M, et al. Ultrasound-guided aspiration and corticosteroid injection compared to Horizontal therapy for treatment of knee osteoarthritis complicated with Baker’s cyst: a randomized, controlled trial. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2012;48:561-7.
Hako-Med BIO. Hako-Med Web site. http://www.electromedicine.com. Accessed November 5, 2014.
Joki? A, Hansjürgens K, Srem?evi? N, Hansjürgens A, Jovanovi? T, Markovi? Treatment of gonarthrosis with balneo and horizontal therapy (HT). MD-Medical Data. 2012;4(1):029-032.
Saggini R, Carniel R, Cancelli F. Treatment of shoulder injuries with associated arthrosynovitis using horizontal therapy. Eur Med Phys. 2006;42(Suppl. 1 to No.2):669-72.
Saggini R, Carniel R, Coco V, Cancelli F, Ianieri M, Maccanti D. Gonarthrosis: treatment with horizontal therapy electrotherapy. Multicenter study. Eur Med Phys. 2004;40(Supp. 1 to No. 3):594-8.
Wlassoff V. Gate control theory and pain management. Brain Blogger web site. June 23, 2014. http://brainblogger.com/2014/06/23/gate-control-theory-and-pain-management/. Accessed Novemember 10, 2014.
Zambito A, Bianchini B, Adami S, et al. Horizontal therapy in the treatment of lower back pain caused by a recent osteoporotic vertebral fracture. Eur Med Phys. 2005;41(Suppl. 1 to No. 4):923-4.
Zambito A, Bianchini D, Gatti D, Rossini M, Adami S, Viapiana O. Interferential and horizontal therapies in chronic low back pain due to multiple vertebral fractures: a randomized, double blind, clinical study. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2006;24(5):534-9.