Diathermy is electrically induced heat therapy
Ultrasound therapy is a form of diathermy, the deep heating of tissues. Other types of diathermy include microwave and radiofrequency (short-wave) or high-frequency devices. At a tissue depth of 2 inches, diathermy devices should produce heat between 104 and 114 degrees Fahrenheit (40 to 45.5 degrees centigrade) for a maximum of 20 minutes, according to the U.S. There are two approaches when using ultrasound therapy: continuous wave and pulsed wave. In cases where heating is not desired, such as with acute inflammation or with wound care, intermittent (pulsed) is used, rather than the typical continuous application, which provides mechanical effects such as increased permeability of cell membranes and possibly repair of tissues.
In the natural sciences, the term diathermy means "electrically induced heat" and is commonly used for muscle relaxation. It is also a method of heating tissue electromagnetically or ultrasonically for therapeutic purposes in medicine.
Ultrasonic diathermy refers to heating of tissues by ultrasound for the purpose of therapeutic deep heating. No tissue is ordinarily damaged hence it is generally used in biomedical applications.
Electric diathermy uses high frequency alternating electric or magnetic fields, sometimes with no electrode or device contact to the skin, to induce gentle deep tissue heating by induction or dipole rotation. No tissue is damaged.
