Smith is a 65-year-old man who presents to our office with lateral elbow pain.
Iontophoresis in Sports: Uses and Advantages Mr. Smith is a 65-year-old man who presents to our office with lateral elbow pain. After performing a physical exam you diagnose him with lateral epicondylosis.
He has had no relief from 6 weeks of physical therapy and would like to know what else he can try. Before you can answer he says that he hates needles and refuses to have any injections. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way we can deliver medication to a patient’s muscle or tendon without the use of a needle?Unfortunately for patients, topical medications have poor bioavailability through skin absorption.
As a result, researchers discovered that applying an external electrical potential to the skin helps facilitate the travel of ions across a membrane. This led to the development of iontophoresis which is a process of facilitating transfer of topical medication across the surface of the skin. The principles behind iontophoresis is that two like forces repel each other.
What occurs is an anionic medication will be pushed across the skin if placed on an anionic electrode. This is facilitated by the application of a low voltage of electricity. The typical voltage used is 0.5 mA/cm2.
The medication is thought to travel through the pores located in the stratum corneum of the epidermis. The use of iontophoresis began in other medical specialties including dermatology for treatment of hyperhidrosis and ENT for preoperative anesthesia. These specialties found that there were advantages to using iontophoresis such as avoidance of hepatic first pass metabolism and direct delivery of a medication to a target area.
If you are experiencing symptoms that may be related to what is iontophoresis?, it is important to see a sports medicine physician. Early evaluation and treatment typically lead to better outcomes. Do not ignore pain or symptoms that are limiting your activity.
*This article is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider.*
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