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7 Therapeutic Fields: Shortwave Diathermy

Shortwave diathermy refers to heating deeply located tissue using electric or magnetic fields that alternate at high frequency, around 27.12 MHz. While called "shortwave", the waves themselves play little role; rather, it is the powerful electric or magnetic fields generated by the apparatus that produce physiological effects. The apparatus consists of an oscillator circuit that produces alternating current at 27.12 MHz, which is coupled to a resonant circuit tuned to the same frequency to transfer energy to the patient via electrodes or an induction coil. Any mains frequency AC produced is not conducted appreciably to the patient due to the vast difference between the resonant and mains frequencies.

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29 views

7 Therapeutic Fields: Shortwave Diathermy

Shortwave diathermy refers to heating deeply located tissue using electric or magnetic fields that alternate at high frequency, around 27.12 MHz. While called "shortwave", the waves themselves play little role; rather, it is the powerful electric or magnetic fields generated by the apparatus that produce physiological effects. The apparatus consists of an oscillator circuit that produces alternating current at 27.12 MHz, which is coupled to a resonant circuit tuned to the same frequency to transfer energy to the patient via electrodes or an induction coil. Any mains frequency AC produced is not conducted appreciably to the patient due to the vast difference between the resonant and mains frequencies.

Uploaded by

vaishnavi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SHORTWAVE DIATHERMY 167

7 Therapeutic Fields: Shortwave Diathermy


'Shortwave diathermy' refers to heating of deeply located tissue using electric or
magnetic fields which alternate at high frequency. The term 'shortwave diathermy', is While shortwave diathermy
something of a misnomer as the contribution of waves, as such, to the treatment is units do radiate waves with a
negligible. The physiological effects are a result of electric and magnetic fields frequency of 27.12 MHz, this
generated by the shortwave diathermy apparatus. Shortwave radiation plays little or is a side-effect. The
no role in the therapy. physiological effects are due
to the powerful electric or
magnetic fields generated by
The apparatus used by physiotherapists generates alternating electric and magnetic the apparatus.
fields with a frequency of 27.12 MHz. Since radio waves with frequencies in the range
10 MHz to 100 MHz are termed short waves the term has been, rather inappropriately,
applied to this therapeutic modality.

PRODUCTION OF THE FIELD


Shortwave diathermy apparatus consists of a
sinewave generator circuit which produces
alternating current with a frequency of 27.12
MHz and a resonant circuit which can be
tuned to exactly the same frequency. The
sinewave generator supplies energy to the
resonant circuit by transformer action. Figure
7.1 illustrates the arrangement.

Figure 7.1
Shortwave diathermy
apparatus (schematic).

back to chapter 8
SHORTWAVE DIATHERMY 168

The sinewave generator consists of a power supply (chapter 5), an oscillator with
good frequency stability (chapters 2 and 5) and a power amplifier (chapter 5). The
power supply converts AC from the mains (of frequency 50 Hz) to DC which is needed
to power the equipment. It consists of a transformer (to convert the 240 V AC from the
mains to the voltage needed by the rest of the circuitry), and a rectifier to convert the AC
to DC. The DC is used to power a sinewave generator; a resonant circuit which
oscillates at 27.12 MHz and an amplifier, which boosts the current produced by the
resonant circuit to higher levels, as needed for patient treatment.

Electrical energy produced by the sinewave generator is coupled to the patient tuning
Any mains-frequency AC
circuit by transformer action (figure 7.1). Two inductors are placed close together so produced by the apparatus is
that energy produced by the power amplifier is transferred to the patient circuit. This also not conducted
method of coupling ensures that DC in the apparatus is unable to reach the patient appreciably to the patient
and the risk of electric shock is minimized. circuit as the resonant
frequency (27.12 MHz) is
A variable capacitor, C, is included in the patient circuit so that the resonant frequency vastly different to the mains
of the patient circuit can be made equal to the frequency of the oscillator. This frequency (50 Hz).
ensures maximum efficiency of energy transfer (chapter 2) and reliable operation of
the apparatus. A power meter or indicator lamp shows when resonance is achieved
and maximum power is transferred. In older machines, the variable capacitor, C, was
manually adjusted with the operator adjusting a knob while observing the power
meter and adjusting for maximum power. Modern machines use electronic control of
the variable capacitor and are described as 'auto-tuning'. The principal advantage of
automatic tuning is that if the patient should move during treatment the machine will
adjust to keep the patient circuit in resonance. With manual tuning machines,
movement of the patient or electrodes can result in de-tuning and a drop in output of
the machine.

The output of the apparatus is coupled to the patient via electrodes (in the capacitor
field technique represented in figure 7.1) or via an induction coil. The coil or
electrodes are connected directly to the output of the machine and the part of the

back to chapter 8
SHORTWAVE DIATHERMY 169

patient to be treated is positioned in the electric or magnetic field. In figure 7.1, the
area highlighted in yellow is circuitry inside the machine.

The part of the patient to be treated would be positioned between the external
capacitor plates shown in figure 7.1. The plates are normally in the form of two metal
disks, each inside a clear plastic container or envelope. The electrical characteristics When an induction coil is
of the patient's tissue affects the capacitance of the patient circuit, as does the used, the presence of
electrode size and spacing. For this reason it is necessary that the apparatus be biological tissue in the field is
tuned (by adjusting C in figure 7.1) with the patient positioned in the field. Similarly, if irrelevant but the tissue
an induction coil is used rather than capacitor plates, tuning will be necessary. This is volume to be treated will
because when the coil is wrapped around the part of the patient to be treated, the influence the number of turns
inductance of the coil will depend on the number of turns of the coil and their radius. of the coil and their radius.

MOLECULES IN AN ELECTRIC FIELD


In shortwave diathermy treatment a high frequency AC electrical signal is produced
and applied to the patient via an induction coil or electrodes. The high frequency
signal will produce a corresponding high frequency alternating electric or magnetic
field in the patient's tissue. We now consider what effect this has on the tissue.

Since an alternating magnetic field gives rise to an induced alternating electrical field
(as described in chapter 6) we first examine the effects of an alternating electric field
on the different molecules found in human tissue.

Charged Molecules
The conductivity of tissue is determined by the number of free ions in the tissue fluid.
In the presence of an electric field these ions will migrate along field lines and so
constitute an electric current. The process is not unlike electrical conduction in
metals. Metallic conduction results from the movement of free electrons. In
electrolytes the charge carriers are not electrons but ions; these are tens of

back to chapter 8

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