Faradic currents are monophasic currents that produce electrolysis by-products. These by-
products can result in etching beneath the electrodes. Always use properly moistened sponge /
electrode combinations to absorb these by-products during treatment.
The 2-5 or ‘Ultra-Reiz’ current was introduced by Träbert (*). It is often used to treat headaches and
neck pain. The 2-5 current is a faradic rectangular pulsed current with a phase duration of 2
milliseconds and a phase interval of 5 milliseconds. These settings are the default settings for the
faradic rectangular current waveform and result in a pulse frequency of approximately 143 Hz. Träbert
offered no explanation for the choice of these parameters. Nevertheless, many specialists have
adopted the therapy and it is still applied with success.
(*) Träbert, H. Ultra-Reizstrom, ein neues therapeutisches Phänomen, Elektromedizin 2, 1957 (7).
Parameters:
• Phase Duration, expressed in milliseconds or seconds, is the elapsed time from the beginning to
the end of the pulse phase. The default setting is 2 milliseconds.
• Phase Interval, expressed in milliseconds or seconds, is the elapsed time between successive
pulse phases. The default setting is 5 milliseconds.
Illustrations current waveforms