The term Tecar, officially coined in 1995, is the acronym for Transfer Energy Capacitive And Resistive (Capacitive-Resistive Energy Transfer) and indicates a particular practice of alternative medicine widely used by physiotherapists, because it is useful for the cure and treatment of multiple pathologies. , joint problems and muscle discomfort affecting sportsmen and women alike.

• How Tecartherapy Works
• What are the benefits of tecar therapy
• What is Tecartherapy for?
• Therapeutic indications
• How many cycles of tecar therapy can be done
• How much does a session of tecar therapy cost
• Contraindications and side effects

How Tecartherapy Works 

Tecar therapy exploits the principle of diathermy (from the Greek ” diá “, through, and ” thermós “, heat), that is, it uses the increase in temperature inside the body to accelerate the body’s regenerative processes.

The machine used for tecar therapy is an electric generator that produces high frequency electromagnetic waves, connected to two plates (the so-called “armatures”).

The fixed or passive plate is placed in contact with the patient’s body on the opposite side to that to be treated, while the mobile plate is the one that the therapist massages on the inflamed or painful area. Depending on the affected area or the disorder to be treated, the machine has two modes of operation:

• The capacitive mode : releases more energy in the superficial and soft tissues, which have low resistance to current (muscles, skin, blood and lymphatic vessels, connective tissue, etc.);
• the resistive mode : it acts deeper on the tissues with a greater resistance to the passage of current and a lower concentration of water (bones, adipose tissues, tendons, ligaments, etc.).

Unlike other instrumental techniques including laser therapy, in which the heat is produced by the machinery, in the case of Tecar physiotherapy the temperature increase exploits the Joule effect and is endogenous , i.e. it comes from the inside: it is the tissues themselves that they are stimulated to produce more energy and heat.

What are the benefits of tecar therapy 

Tecar therapy has multiple applications and for this reason it is a very widespread and recommended treatment in rehabilitation therapies and in the treatment of musculoskeletal pathologies , as well as in the field of aesthetic medicine.

Its main effects are :

• Increase of cellular metabolism;
• increased tissue oxygenation;
• increased intake of nutrients;
• faster disposal of waste and waste products;
• acceleration of regenerative processes;
• vasodilation;
• improvement of lymphatic drainage;
• internal temperature increase;
• endorphin release and pain reduction.

What is Tecartherapy for?

Thanks to these effects ( biostimulating , muscle relaxant , draining and analgesic ), there are really many pathologies and ailments that can be remedied thanks to tecar therapy sessions.

Therapeutic indications of tecar therapy

In particular, the effectiveness on:

• Muscle injuries (distractions, strains, tears), tendons or ligaments;
• joint problems ;
• osteoporosis ;
• spinal pathologies (back pain, back pain, neck pain);
• shoulder, elbow, wrist or hand disorders;
• hip, knee, ankle or foot disease;
• bursitis and inflammation;
• edema or hematomas;
• trauma (sprains, bruises, fractures);
• post surgical rehabilitation;
• lymphedema, cellulite and water retention .

How many cycles of Tecartherapy can be done? 

The duration , frequency and number of treatments necessary to obtain an evident result vary according to the extent of the trauma or the severity of the pathology and are subjective according to the type of patient and his response to the stimulus, as well as to any therapeutic, instrumental or manual association, which is made in addition.

Generally a cycle of 5-10 close sessions is the minimum required for appreciable results to be obtained.

How much does a tecar therapy session cost? 

The price for a session of tecar therapy is between € 25/50 , but varies according to the machinery used, the time of application, the specialization or experience of the physiotherapist and possibly the use of creams or supplementary medicaments.

Contraindications and side effects  

As for the contraindications of tecar therapy : tecar therapy is a safe, modular treatment and therefore suitable for everyone, which has no particular contraindications.

However, precaution and medical consultation are recommended for people with pacemakers or metal prostheses, patients suffering from epilepsy or oncological diseases and pregnant women.

Read also: Tecartherapy for the knee