What are Monode Electrode

 

MONODE ELECTRODE

The cable and the monode operate on the same basis. It is made consisting of a thick wire helix that is flat and fixed in a stiff support. It is feasible to utilize less wire than needed for the cable by placing a condenser in parallel with the coil. The sturdy support allows the electrode to be used with air spacing, however the heating is created by eddy currents in a region shaped like a hollow ring (like that produced by the single helix).

Techniques of short-wave diathermy

Testing the apparatus

Before using the machine, it should be tested. Condenser electrodes are placed across from one another with a space between them when they are to be used. After turning on and fine-tuning the device, the operator puts her hand between the electrodes and raises the current until she feels a pleasant warmth. The operator can place her hand between the ends of the cable (in the electrostatic field) and increase the machine's current until she feels warmth, or she can arrange the cable in a single loop and test it using a neon tube, which illuminates when the two circuits are in resonance.

Preparation of the patient

Metal can distort the electric field and heat up any induced currents in the couch, chair, or table that is used to support the patient. Therefore, metal should be avoided in these areas. Because electrodes can be positioned beneath the canvas, a deck chair works well. For several reasons, clothing must be taken off the treatment area. It might be a little wet from sweat, and its existence would hinder air circulation, which helps any sweat that might build during the therapy evaporate. Tight clothes may cause uneven pressure if the patient is laying on an electrode or it may prevent blood from flowing through the area, overheating the patient.

Importance of Skin Examination in Diathermy Treatment

The essential examination of the skin before and after treatment cannot be performed if the clothing is left on, and it is also impossible to determine the precise distance between the electrodes and the skin. The patient finds it challenging to enjoy the feeling of warmth while they are dressed. Furthermore, metal items concealed in garments could easily go unnoticed. Due to their high dielectric constants, metal and moisture can concentrate an electric field, which can lead to overheating in a small area. Things made of metal and anything wet should be kept at least 30 centimeters away from the electrodes in the vicinity of the region that needs to be treated.

Patient Education and Sensitivity Testing in Diathermy

For this reason, it is crucial that the patient knows how warm he should feel, how to report excessive heat, and that burning occurs when heat levels get too high. Prior to starting treatment, skin feeling needs to be assessed. Test tubes may be used for the experiment; one should be filled with warm water and the other with cold water. If there is a lack of feeling in any portion of the affected area, applying heat treatment is not a sensible decision. The vasomotor response in an insensitive area is lower than in a normal one, thus heat is not carried away as rapidly and overheating is likely to occur. The patient may also be unable to judge the amount of heating produced. It is necessary to take out and keep hearing aids far away from the machine because induced currents have the potential to seriously harm them.

Kinds of Electrodes

Although capacitor electrodes come in a variety of forms, they all have a metal plate that is encased in an insulating substance. One kind has a cover that allows the metal plate's position to be changed. Although circular electrodes are the most frequent design, some irregular locations, like the axilla, require specialized shapes. These kind of electrodes are positioned on supporting arms, and to promote airflow, it's best to leave a tiny space between the skin and the cover. An additional kind of electrode is a stiff metal plate covered in a thin layer of plastic or rubber insulating material. Compared to a flat disc, these plates' edges are usually convex, which produces a more uniform electric field. Because the convex electrodes' edges are farther from the skin than their center, the peripheral portion of the field has more space to spread before it reaches the skin. This is because an electric charge concentrates at the conductor's edges, creating a stronger electric field there than it does elsewhere.

Electrode Types and Spacing Considerations

These electrodes are positioned on supportive arms and have an air gap separating them from the skin. To guarantee proper spacing, they might have an adjustable mechanism protruding from the center.A third kind of electrode is made of a thin layer of rubber applied on a pliable metal plate. This can be molded to fit the part; however, it shouldn't be bent too harshly to avoid breaking the metal plate. These kind of electrodes are kept apart from the skin by perforated felt, and body weight keeps them in place. Avoiding excessive pressure is necessary to prevent blood flow disruption. The most ideal spacing material is air, which is why the felt is perforated to some extent; nonetheless, one drawback of this kind of electrode is that it cannot be completely spaced apart.The thick wire that makes up the cable electrode is wrapped in rubber. At least four layers of dry Turkish toweling, with a thickness of at least 1 cm (ideally more), separate it from the skin. Toweling is required to absorb any sweat that might be created by the heat and cause a burn. The cable's turns should be spaced apart by at least 2.5 cm, and spacers composed of insulating material can be used to hold them in place.

The location and dimensions of the electrodes

The sections on the condenser field and cable treatment techniques have taken this into account. It is crucial to keep in mind that an electric field might be created around the edges, behind, and from the front of the electrodes when positioning them. A field is created in the patient's tissues if these pieces go too near to them, which could result in painful warmth. For instance, when treating one knee joint, the back of the electrode may rest too near to the other knee, which would heat up as a result. The electrode is placed on the medial aspect of the joint.

Linking up leads

The leads or cable must always be the appropriate length for the specific electrodes and equipment being utilized. The leads should not approach any conductor and should instead be positioned parallel to one another, at least as far apart as the machine's terminals. Every conductor that is close to the leads has the potential to induce currents, which could cause the conductor to overheat and lose energy. In a similar vein, the leads must be kept at least as far away from the patient's skin as the electrode spacing in order to prevent currents from entering the tissues and heating the surrounding area. 

Utilizing current

The current is switched on and the circuits adjusted once the patient, electrodes, and leads are positioned. After that, the current is gradually increased to give the patient time to adjust to the increased temperature and for vasodilatation to take place. Throughout the course of the treatment, the operator should stay in constant communication with the patient and should cut the current off right away if the heating gets too high. After the course of therapy, the electrodes are taken out, the current is turned off, and the controls are reset to zero. There should not be a significant reaction, even though the skin may be slightly pink. The length of the therapy, the size and spacing of the electrodes, the meter reading, and any observed reactions should all be noted.

Quantity

With the exception of treating chronic inflammatory lesions, which should take at least 30 minutes, most cases call for an application strength that is just strong enough to provide a pleasant warmth and a treatment time of 20 to 30 minutes. The course of treatment can be completed every day or every other day.

Guidelines for Managing Chronic Inflammation Safely

The application should be less severe than that recommended above for the treatment of acute inflammation or recent injury, but it can be done more regularly, like twice a day. The current used can be adjusted to generate a slight warming feeling, or it can be increased to that point and then lowered until the warmth is no longer felt. Treatment lasts no more than five to ten minutes, during which time the dose is gradually raised while exercising caution based on the results seen. Excessive therapy should be avoided when the inflammation is located in a small area, such the face's air sinuses, since it might exacerbate symptoms severely when tension rises in that area.

Applications of short-wave diathermy in medicine

Impacts on inflammation

Arterioles and capillaries dilate, increasing blood flow to the location and delivering more white blood cells and antibodies along with it. This increases the availability of oxygen and nutritional resources. Capillary dilatation results in greater exudation into the tissues, which is then followed by higher absorption and an increase in blood flow through the best part of the body along with waste materials. These outcomes contribute to the reduction of inflammation. When a bacterial infection is linked to inflammation, additional effects are observed; these are discussed below. When treating locations where there is already noticeable vasodilatation and fluid exusion during the acute stages of inflammation, care should be used because an increase in these processes could worsen the symptoms. In the subacute phases, higher dosages could be administered with significant advantages.

Chronic Inflammation: Short-Wave Diathermy Benefits

For a thermal dose to be helpful when the inflammation is chronic, it must be applied for a significant amount of time. For lesions of deeply positioned structures, such the hip joint, which are difficult to treat with conventional forms of radiation and electrotherapy, short-wave diathermy is very helpful. It is beneficial for a variety of inflammatory disorders (such as rheumatoid arthritis, capsulitis, and tendinitis) as well as for the inflammatory alterations that commonly take place in the ligaments around osteo-arthritic joints when combined with other forms of physiotherapy.

Consequences for bacterial infections

The main characteristics of inflammation include vasodilatation, fluid exudation into the tissues, and an increase in the concentration of white blood cells and antibodies in the area. Inflammation is the body's normal response to the presence of microorganisms. In order to strengthen the body's natural defenses against the invading organisms, heating the tissues increases these changes. For this reason, short-wave diathermy may be helpful in treating bacterial infections including boils, carbuncles, and abscesses. Early intervention can sometimes resolve the inflammation without causing pus to form; if this is not possible, the inflammatory reaction accelerates. As with other cases of acute inflammation, the course of treatment should be cautiously administered until free drainage occurs.

Short-Wave Diathermy in Infection Management

Stronger dosages may be used while the abscess is draining freely, as the increased blood flow will aid in the healing process after the infection has been eradicated. While greater discharge for a few days indicates an acceleration of the changes occurring in the tissues, it is not a contraindication to therapy. In certain cases, short-wave diathermy appears to exacerbate the illness. If the increased discharge does not subside, however, it can mean that the body's defense mechanism has already been overworked and cannot be strengthened.

Traumatic circumstances

Short-wave diathermy produces similar positive effects on traumatic lesions as it does on inflammation. The clearance of waste products is aided by the fluid exudation followed by greater absorption and the increased blood flow across the area. Additionally, the improved blood supply makes more nutritive nutrients available, 60 supporting the healing processes.

Caution in Managing Acute Inflammation

Acute inflammation and recent injuries should be managed cautiously since overheating might increase the amount of fluid that leaks from injured vessels. Stronger dosages are necessary for stiff joints and other injury aftereffects; this treatment is a prelude to exercise, which is typically the most important component of the treatment.

Cutting down on recovery time

When the vascular reactions to heat are normal, an increased blood flow to the tissues may help to promote the healing of, say, a wound.

Pain Alleviation

It is discovered that, most likely due to a sedative effect, a small amount of heating is useful in pain relief. It has been proposed that pain could be caused by waste products from metabolism building up in the tissues and that increased blood flow to the location helps flush these chemicals out. Strong superficial heating most certainly reduces pain by counter-irritating the skin, but it is improbable that short-wave diathermy will cause the skin to heat up to such a degree. When an inflammatory process is the cause of pain, pain relief follows the resolution of the inflammation.

Short-Wave Diathermy: Pain Relief Mechanisms

Short-wave diathermy helps to facilitate the resolution of inflammation, which in turn helps to indirectly relieve pain. But in certain situations, intense heating could exacerbate discomfort, particularly in cases of acute inflammation, if the increased blood flow and fluid exudation result in a rise in the issues' tension. Therefore, in addition to its other benefits, short-wave diathermy relieves pain when applied to inflammatory and post-traumatic lesions. This is especially helpful if the treatment serves as a warm-up for more effective vigorous exercise later on.