Six incorrect uses of silicone graphite electrodes in clinical practice

October 11, 2024 at 10:40 AM EDT

How to correctly use therapeutic graphite electrodes on the human body surface to achieve the best therapeutic effect? Silicone graphite therapeutic electrodes are made of silicone rubber or non-woven materials that are non-toxic and harmless to the human body. The electrode has a certain degree of flexibility and can be in close contact with human skin; Physiotherapy electrodes in order to ensure the current path, one side of the electrode is a black conductive layer. During treatment, the black side of the electrode must be facing the skin so that the output current of the therapeutic device can reach the skin smoothly to achieve the therapeutic effect.

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There are some misunderstandings about the use of electrode sheets/Physiotherapy electrodes . The following problems should be avoided when using them correctly:

1. Unclean skin

The human skin is the part with the worst conductivity in the whole body. The grease, dandruff and other attachments on the skin surface will also hinder the passage of current, further reducing the conductivity of the skin. The therapeutic device must overcome the skin's resistance to current in order to achieve the therapeutic effect. Oily skin has more grease on the surface, and dry skin has more dandruff on the surface. Both oily and dry skin are not conducive to conductivity, and skin grease will accelerate the aging of the conductive adhesive sheet, so the skin must be cleaned before treatment. The method is to first scrub the skin with a 75% alcohol cotton ball to remove grease, and then moisten the skin with clean water to ensure the conductivity of the skin. If it is not oily skin, clean and moisten the skin with clean water. This is the first step to ensure the treatment effect.

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2. No lining cloth or adhesive sheet is used under the electrode sheet

The silicone rubber electrode sheet /Physiotherapy electrodes has a conductive layer. Some people stick the black conductive layer directly on the skin during treatment. This method of placing the electrode sheet may cause some problems, mainly because the electrode sheet itself is elastic and cannot ensure that the electrode sheet is completely and tightly in contact with the skin, so that the current cannot flow evenly through the contact surface with the skin to the human body. If the current is concentrated on one or several points of the skin, it may cause a tingling sensation on the skin surface, and in severe cases, it may cause skin burns, so applying the electrode sheet directly on the skin surface will affect the treatment effect.

Solution

A layer of wet lining cloth or conductive adhesive sheet is placed between the black surface of the electrode sheet and the skin. The wet lining cloth has good conductivity. When using it, the electrode sheet should be fixed on the skin with a sandbag or elastic band to ensure the passage of current to the skin without skin allergic reaction. The conductive adhesive sheet is a conductive sheet with adhesive on both sides. The adhesive sheet can stick the electrode sheet tightly to the skin, and there is no need to fix it with a sandbag, which is more convenient to use.

3.The lining cloth is not soaked with waterThe wet lining method is to place a lining soaked in water between the skin and the black surface of the silicone rubber electrode. Some people place dry lining directly under the electrode. Since dry lining is not conductive, treatment cannot be performed. At this time, there should be no adhesive sheet on the silicone rubber electrode. Adhesive sheets cannot be used when using wet lining.The advantages of using wet lining are good conductivity, no allergic reaction, guaranteed material source (ordinary white cotton cloth or flannel can be used), and low cost for repeated use. However, it is necessary to use elastic bands or sandbags for pressure fixation during treatment, which is not very convenient for treatment operation.If the surface of the adhesive sheet is stained with dandruff after use, the stickiness will decrease. It can be restored by washing it with clean water and drying it.

Note: Adhesive sheets are afraid of oil but not water. It is recommended to clean and care for the adhesive sheets with clean water before and after use to keep the adhesive sheets conductive and sticky. Skin grease or oily substances will accelerate the aging and failure of the adhesive sheets. Before treatment, you should pay attention to remove skin grease and avoid contact with oily substances.

4.Dust prevention issuesThe self-adhesive is a layer of conductive adhesive sheet that is attached to the black conductive surface of the electrode sheet. Some of them are already bonded together when leaving the factory, and some adhesive sheets and silicone rubber electrode sheets are packaged separately. Users should stick the adhesive sheet to the black surface of the electrode sheet before use. Both sides of the adhesive sheet are sticky, and generally one side is more sticky. When sticking the adhesive sheet, pay attention to sticking the stickier side to the black surface of the electrode sheet. There is a layer of protective sticker on the surface of the adhesive to prevent the adhesive from getting dusty. During treatment, the sticker should be peeled off so that the adhesive sticks to the skin surface. After treatment, stick the sticker again to prevent the adhesive from getting dusty.

The biggest advantage of using conductive adhesive sheets is that they are easy to use. You only need to stick the electrode sheet on the skin treatment area, which is why most people like to use adhesive sheets. The disadvantage is that the conductivity and adhesion of adhesive sheets have a certain service life. Generally, after using them for more than 100 times (some people use them dozens of times, which is related to the skin characteristics and usage methods), their performance gradually decreases. After using them for a period of time, the adhesive sheets need to be replaced, which increases the cost of use.

5.Skin allergies

Most people will not have any adverse reactions when using adhesive sheets, but due to differences in individual physiques, some people will have skin allergies to adhesive sheets. If papules are found on the skin during use, it should be considered whether it is caused by allergies to the adhesive sheets, and the use of adhesive sheets should be stopped to eliminate the allergic effects.When the adhesive sheet is not used, just tear it off from the silicone rubber electrode sheet. Use wet lining cloth as a pad during treatment.

Note: Only the adhesive of the silicone rubber electrode sheet can be torn off and replaced. If it is a non-woven electrode sheet or a button electrode sheet, the adhesive and the electrode sheet are connected as one, and the adhesive sheet cannot be replaced.

6.Electrode short circuit problem

Some people put two electrodes very close to each other during treatment, which may cause the wet lining cloth or conductive adhesive sheet under the electrodes to touch each other. This situation is called electrode output short circuit.

For the therapeutic device, output short circuit will not cause any damage to the device, but the current will flow back to the device from the short circuit point, without passing through the human skin at all, and cannot play a therapeutic role.If you cannot feel the massage effect of the output current during treatment, it may be that the two electrodes touch each other and form a short circuit. You should first check whether there is an electrode output short circuit. If there is a short circuit, just turn off the power, separate the two electrodes and re-fix them to continue the treatment.

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Company Name: Shenzhen Changmai Technology Co., Ltd.
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Phone: +86-755-28146220
Address:2003 LongGuang JiuZuan Building 5A, Tenglong Road Hongshan, Longhua District
City: ShenZhen, 518038
Country: China
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Six incorrect uses of silicone graphite electrodes in clinical practice

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