electrotherapy

noun

elec·​tro·​ther·​a·​py i-ˌlek-trō-ˈther-ə-pē How to pronounce electrotherapy (audio)
: the therapeutic use of electricity

Examples of electrotherapy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This process, called electrotherapy, works both by attracting immune cells and skin cells to the wound and by boosting cell growth and division. Simon Makin, Scientific American, 28 June 2023 The devices are also far more advanced than proof-of-concept stage; the Northwestern device, a transient bandage that uses electrotherapy to both monitor and heal diabetic wounds, is resorbed into the body. IEEE Spectrum, 22 Apr. 2023 Here’s a 1996 patent (one of many) for an Interferential stimulator for applying localized electrotherapy stimulation. Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2017 Hydrotherapy and electrotherapy, delivered by elaborate machines that sent painful jolts of electricity through the body, were also put into use. Daphne Merkin, The Atlantic, 10 July 2022 At Audrey, staff will have a wellness room with many of the tools Brock himself uses: massage, Reiki, acupuncture, cranial electrotherapy stimulation, and light and aroma therapies. Howie Kahn, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2021 And in East Nashville, Tenn., the chef Sean Brock is building a soundproof room in his new culinary compound where employees can escape for a treatment called cranial electrotherapy stimulation. Kim Severson, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2020 Her specialties included hydrotherapy and electrotherapy, the use of water and electricity to treat illnesses and diseases. Louisville Courier Journal, The Courier-Journal, 3 Feb. 2020 Cheung Yiu-kai, 66, was recently treated for liver cancer using a combination of surgery and electrotherapy -- in which electric currents are applied to tumors -- at Queen Mary Hospital to remove a series of tumors. Meera Senthilingam, CNN, 19 June 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'electrotherapy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of electrotherapy was in 1861

Dictionary Entries Near electrotherapy

Cite this Entry

“Electrotherapy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/electrotherapy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

electrotherapy

noun
elec·​tro·​ther·​a·​py -ˈther-ə-pē How to pronounce electrotherapy (audio)
plural electrotherapies
: treatment of disease by means of electricity (as in diathermy)

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