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Many electrotherapy devices display a current value, for example 200 microamperes. But does this current actually flow? In this episode, Patrick Walitschek examines an assumption that is rarely questioned in microcurrent therapy: that the set value is also the value that reaches the tissue.
The discussion centres on Ohm’s law, the often-overlooked role of voltage, and the chain of resistance from the electrode through the skin and into the tissue. It also covers a surprising finding from the much-cited ATP study by Cheng et al. (1982), the human body as a capacitive system, and the question of what the MDR requires when a device offers an SI unit such as amperes for setting. Ultimately, it comes down to the principle of the control loop: measure, adjust, measure again.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro – the accelerator pedal problem 01:30 The practical question: Why not just set it to a fixed value? 02:30 Ohm’s law, voltage and resistance – with a calculation example 05:30 The resistance chain: electrode, skin, fascia, tissue 08:00 What Cheng et al. (1982) actually say 10:00 The body as a capacitor – why frequency and current go hand in hand 12:00 The regulatory aspect: setting AND maintaining 13:30 The control loop: cybernetics in microcurrent therapy 15:00 Conclusion
The three key points: 1. Current is not a setting, but a result of voltage and resistance. 2. The human body behaves like a living, capacitive system that changes during therapy. 3. Alongside frequency, the actual current flowing is one of the most important effective parameters.
Sources: Cheng, N., Van Hoof, H., Bockx, E., Hoogmartens, M. J., Mulier, J. C., De Dijcker, F. J., Sansen, W. M., & De Loecker, W. (1982). The effects of electric currents on ATP generation, protein synthesis, and membrane transport in rat skin. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 171, 264–272. European Parliament & Council of the European Union. (2017). Regulation (EU) 2017/745 on medical devices, Annex I, Section 21.1. Official Journal of the European Union, L 117. Luxxamed GmbH. (2025). HD2000+ Technical Instructions for Use, Software Version 3.X (Rev. 23). Kassel. Schönfelder, U., Walker, ?, & Kenner, ? (2017). [Unpublished project report]. Fraunhofer FEP, Dresden. Wiener, N. (1948). Cybernetics: Or control and communication in the animal and the machine. Technology Press; John Wiley & Sons.
Further information: https://www.luxxamed.de/en/2026/11/11/the-myth-of-electric-current/
