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SumrnaryThis is a brief revic\,,,ai Lhe histoty ()l -.lectrcthetapv. P,tin has been relieved by ele.triaity since ancient ri|les, at first bv ncans oi appl,vittg liv-. ele(tric fish to the tenclcr part lo aaLtse numbness. But once ii(Iional machincs w,ere louDd to produce electro ,tdtic eledticitl, (Franklirlisr,) in the nid 1qth a-Dntury the use of livint orianisms w;Js discan tinued. By the latc lSth cenrur,v Calvani had rediscovered the iact tha! animals developed electri(it), spontatleously. Volta diss;v,.red a chemic,tl ntc,tDs ot-ptoduaitlB electricity lront the first fbm of battcty or voltaic ytile \r,ithout recourse to animal tissucs ar iidion;l nachtnes \,liosc efiiciency varied \,/ith atDrosplleri( ( otlditions. l'his clis(orery lcd to the medical use ()i direct currenl (Calvanisnt). lls abililr, to r:;::us--necrosis by electrolvtic D)cans was entployed in the dcsttuctian oi tLtnaLtrs. CalvanisDJ was also applied to rJccdles, hence thc lirst iorm of electrcacLq)un.tL1rc pioneercd by Berlioz ,tnd Sarlandi're. For the titst timc thc conbinalian oi elechathetapv and orietllal idtas ahout needling werc brought together. Furthetnore thes--early expcriflentess sllow-od haw stin'l]ulatioD aI th-D nervous system brought ptotount] relici fron pain.ln the earl,\, 19th centLlty Fara.lav's \\ork an lhe pradLtctiaD of alte iating cunents ancl his understanding oi electrolysis provided nEdiaitie with the ercnpe that was requircd from the dan.r;ers ol (;alvatrisnnl. A variett af safcr allenjatitll and intcnupled .utrents (Faradisn) havc been employed in clcc0alherapy ever since, particularly in the iont of clectroa.upundLrre, IFNS lTranscutaneaus Lle.tri.al Stitiulati()n) and Dorsal Column Stimulatiotl. The popularity ol electrcttherapy fell durinB th-. -.arlv part af the 2oth cenrury, as no one knew ho\jt its e/tecls nere abtained. Howevet n()w \re know how afferent nervc fibres respoDt! kt dillerent ltequ-.ncies ancl amplitudcs, electrotherapl, perntils th--maderD pftlctitiancr to stimulat-. the nervous system in a nuntber oi diilerent ways ta induae the selectivc pradu.tion ot vanaus monoamines. amino acicls and peptides in the central ne!vous syste|f,, Ho\,rcvcr ntore expetiments ar"" t-.quited to nake electratlrcrapv realise its true p.t.,.tt. l tn ti,tttl"tnt th pJtpjt . uin p..in re I i -.v i n I s u bsta n c e s.

The location, signs, aetiology, clinical importance and treatment of abnormally tender muscle regions are discussed. Impaired movements associated with one affected muscle in any joint region are investigated in 10 patients; all 10 present with the same pattern of pain-producing movements (i.e. any movement or manoeuvre that increases either the length or the isometric tension within the affected muscle).

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