Tecar therapy is a physiotherapeutic treatment used primarily in the treatment of trauma and inflammation of the musculoskeletal system. It belongs to the group of therapies based on heat. It is a massage performed with tecar, a machine that uses radiofrequencies to stimulate the biological responses of surface and deeper tissues.

This type of physiotherapy helps patients recover more quickly from more or less serious injuries. The areas that are best suited for the use of a Tecar machine are:

In particular, here are the cases in which a physiotherapist might decide to use tecar therapy:

• muscle problems: such as contractures, strains, contusions or oedemas;
• back and spinal problems: such as lumbago, back pain and cervical pain;
• shoulder problems: such as tendinitis
• elbow problems: such as epicondylitis and epitrochleitis
• hip problems: such as pubalgia and bursitis
• knee problems: such as sprains
• ankle and foot problems: such as fractures, sprains, fasciitis

rehabilitation after surgery.

Tecar therapy is primarily based on the production of heat: the Tecar machine stimulates the production of heat within the human body to speed up the healing process. In a sense, this therapy allows the patients’ bodies to contribute to their own healing process. Tecar produces a specific massage that reduces pain following particular injuries and accelerates tissue repair. Unlike other machines, such as laser therapy and infrared thermotherapy, which use heat from outside (i.e. exogenous), Tecar machines use endogenous heat).

When the injury has just occurred and the pain has started, it prevents the patient from performing the most basic movements. At this point, the Tecar machine comes into play.

The electro-device has two modes:

• capacitive: recommended for the specific treatment of soft tissue problems, such as muscles, skin, connective tissue, blood vessels and lymphatic vessels
• resistive: suitable for treating damage at the level of tissues with high tensile strength, such as bones, joints, tendons, ligaments and cartilage.

Tecar therapy is functional not only because it helps reduce the pain experienced by the patient, but also because it allows the physiotherapist to then work on other therapies that will ensure complete healing.

A Tecar therapy session feels like a gentle and pleasant massage.  An electrode covered with a special hypoallergenic cream is slid over the body while on the side opposite the point to be treated, a metal plate is placed that communicates with the energy transmitted by the electrode and guides radio waves at a controlled frequency. Let’s take an example: if the part to be treated is the shoulder, the plate can be placed behind the patient’s back.

The physiotherapist adjusts the intensity of the energy based on the result they wish to obtain during the session. Obviously, the intensity of the heat will vary according to each patient’s pathological situation, so as to obtain the best results.

However, it is important to emphasise that not all of these electro-medical devices are the same. Tecar machines have varying costs and levels of effectiveness. Choosing which one to use will depend on what results the therapist wants to obtain.

This type of therapy brings numerous benefits to the body of those who have suffered injuries or fractures. Tecar equipment can achieve results in just a few sessions thanks to its ability to reduce tissue inflammation. Its greatest quality is undoubtedly its non-invasive nature. It works thanks to the endogenous heat emitted by the patient’s body and uses massage to alleviate pain in its most acute phase. Tecar therapy takes effect immediately and the injured tissues are restored, thus ensuring the complete well-being of the body.

Even though Tecar therapy is safe and suitable for most patients it does has a few contraindications. Indeed, it should not be used in the case of cardiovascular dysfunctions, tumours, thrombophlebitis, the presence of pacemakers or other implants such as prostheses. The specialist that chooses to use this therapy, however, knows this.

Tecar therapy is an essential methodology in physiotherapy. The cost of the therapy varies depending on the number of sessions the patient needs and the type of Tecar machine used. Whereas the first models required around ten sessions, now a cycle of the latest generation of Tecar therapy is completed in only five sessions, with perceptible results from the second or third session.