Abstract
In therapy, as we are all aware, a range of ‘new’ interventions come along – at alarmingly frequent intervals, some but not all of which survive the test of time and earn (through gathering evidence and clinical uptake) a sustained place in the therapy toolkit. When a new modality comes along in the world of the Electrophysical Agents (EPAs), there is often a wide promotion, a range of claims (some of which are almost pure fantasy), and limited uptake in some healthcare sectors. In the current climate and under the auspices of evidence based practice (EBP), for any such modality, robust and believable evidence is needed in order for the intervention to make its way from fashionable new thing into the established armoury. At some point in the past, Ultrasound was just such a fashionable new thing, followed by others like TENS and Laser. For many of us who have been around for some time, these constitute long standing and established tools – but in their day, they were new, innovative and uptake was patchy. The aim of this article is to try and tease apart the fact from the fiction when it comes to two relatively recent modalities – Shockwave and TECAR based therapies and to paint a picture of the current knowledge base to support them (or not). This is NOT a promotional piece, it is not endorsement nor advertising by the back door – it is intended as an objective evaluation as best I can from the current knowledge and evidence base.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 17-22 |
Journal | In Touch |
Volume | 186 |
Publication status | Published - 22 Mar 2024 |