Going to physical therapy for your neck or back?
If so, you’ll likely be given a coordinated set oftreatment modalities.
The specific therapies chosen by your P.T.
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will depend on your pain level, limitations, functionality, and the like.
Usually, a home exercise program, or HEP, is the biggest part of the plan.
Iontophoresis Patch
One such treatment modality is callediontophoresis, or ionto for short.
This procedure involves a patch that is placed on your skin.
It is used most frequently to reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
Attached to the patch is a small pouch of medication.
Both patch and pouch are connected to an ionto machine.
A dexamethasone patch simulates cortisol, an important hormone produced naturally by your adrenal glands.
Dexamethasone has anti-inflammatory properties, which means it relieves or reduces swelling, heat, redness and pain.
In the past, experts believed the action of iontophoresis is to push the medication through the skin.
More recently, though, they’ve updated their understanding of the specific way in which this modality works.
Iontophoresis Development
Iontophoresis is actively being developed by biomedical researchers in a variety of ways.
And they are interested in improved drug delivery programming.
They will then place two electrodes close to the area where inflammation is present.
One of the electrodes will contain the pain medicationwhether dexamethasone, lidocaine or something else.
The electrodes will be connected to the iontophoresis machine.
The therapist will then use the machine to deliver an electrical current to the treatment area.
In this way, the delivery of the medication to your underlying tissue is enhanced.
But it also helps to distribute the dexamethasone, lidocaine, etc.
to a larger surface area.
Beutler A.Musculoskeletal Therapies: Adjunctive Physical Therapy.FP Essent.
Roustit M, Blaise S, Cracowski JL.Trials and tribulations of skin iontophoresis in therapeutics.Br J Clin Pharmacol.
2014;77(1):63-71. doi:10.1111/bcp.12128
