diathermy

View more Health videos

For more information on diathermy, visit Britannica.com.

A form of heat treatment using high frequency electromagnetic currents. These cause molecules in deep tissue to vibrate, heating the tissues and increasing blood flow to them. Diathermy is used to accelerate recovery and reduce pain in sports injuries such as bursitis, strains, and sprains. It is not used on acute injuries where there has been recent bleeding.

Form of heat treatment of which there are two main types: short wave diathermy and microwave diathermy. Short wave diathermy (SWD) uses a high frequency alternating electric current to produce wireless waves 11 m in length. These can penetrate deep structures in which they generate heat. SWD is used to relieve pain and accelerate healing of deep-seated sports injuries, such as chronic lesions in the hip joint. Microwave diathermy uses shorter wireless waves (in physiotherapy, 12.25 cm or 69 cm in length). Its depth of penetration is only about 3 cm so it can be used only on superficial structures. However, microwave diathermy has a greater heating affect on muscles than SWD, so it is particularly useful for treating small, subcutaneous muscle lesions. Like other forms of heat treatment, diathermy should not be used immediately after an injury when there is a haemorrhage. Protective goggles should be worn, and microwaves should not be applied to the genitalia.

The use of high-frequency electrical currents as a form of physical therapy and in surgical procedures.
Diathermy is used in physical therapy to deliver moderate heat directly to pathological lesions in the deeper tissues of the body. Surgically, the extreme heat that can be produced by diathermy may be used to destroy neoplasms, warts and infected tissues, and to cauterize blood vessels to prevent excessive bleeding. The technique is particularly valuable in neurosurgery and surgery of the eye. See also electrosurgery.

• surgical d. — electrosurgery.

A generalized rise in tissue temperature produced by a high-frequency alternating current between two electrodes. The temperature rise is produced without causing tissue damage.

• Procedures - diathermy: heating body part by exposure to high frequency current between two electrodes on skin, used to increase blood flow to relieve deep pain