- Diathermy in medicine is a method of heating tissues of the human body by high-frequency electric currents.
- Diathermy is used primarily to treat muscular disorders and injuries. It is also occasionally used to treat circulatory disorders and arthritÃs.
- There are three kinds of diathermy, classified according to the frequency of the current used. The frequencies used in longwave diathermy are from 500 to 3000 kilocycles per second, those in shortwave diathermy are from 10 to 100 megacycles per second, and microwave diathermy uses a frequency of about 3000 megacycles per second.
- In microwave diathermy the current is produced in the form of a beam of radiation, which is directed against the body.
- Longwave diathermy is used in the treatment of large areas of the body. Shortwave diathermy penetrates deeper than longwave diathermy and is used to produce heat within sprained, injured, or inflamed muscles.
- Microwave diathermy, which is not penetrating, is used only for surface treatments.
Some facts about diathermy
