Analgesic efficacy of the association of cryotherapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cryotherapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation are physiotherapeutic resources widely used for the treatment of pain, due to their analgesic actions proved by scientific evidence. The concomitant use of these two therapeutic modalities in clinical practice is becoming more and more recurrent, justified by the assumption of boosting the analgesic effect. However, some physiotherapists disagree with this practice and believe that the simultaneous use of cryotherapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation nullifies its effects. The objective of this study was to carry out a bibliographic review of studies on the effects of the simultaneous use of cryotherapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in pain treatments. CONTENTS: We selected articles published between 2006-2018 in the databases Scielo, LILACS, Medline and Pubmed. The selection was based on the crossing of the keywords: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, cryotherapy and analgesia. The final sample consisted of 6 articles. CONCLUSION: The results of the analysis of the selected articles showed that, as already scientifically proved, the effects of cryotherapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation alone have their analgesic efficacy. However, most of the studies did not demonstrate a significant improvement in pain with the associated use of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and cryotherapy compared to the isolated use of these physiotherapeutic resources, reinforcing the need for further research to elucidate the issue.

Intervention through Physical Therapy in the Recovery of an Employee after Suffering a Tibial Fracture in an Accident at Work

“…The physiotherapist must have full knowledge of biomechanics and bone formation [11]. A study reports that cryotherapy associated with TENS has an analgesic effect, but the effectiveness is not clear [12]. In our study the initial procedures were chosen to reduce the patient's pain to ensure the proper and efficient application of subsequent procedures.…”

“…In our study the initial procedures were chosen to reduce the patient's pain to ensure the proper and efficient application of subsequent procedures. The presence of pain causes arthrogenic muscle inhibition, weakness and joint instability [12] The techniques chosen for the treatment of the patient were based on the anatomy and biomechanics of the knee respecting the patient's pain threshold which proved to be effective. After the first 10 days of treatment the patient showed improvement in the level of pain, absence of edema and less arthrogenic muscle inhibition.…”

Eletroanalgesia na redução do quadro álgico em universitárias portadoras de dismenorreia

“…A população universitária, tem como características ser jovem, não exercer atividades remuneradas, estar em idade reprodutiva, solteira e não fumante [22][23][24] , dados esses corroborados na presente pesquisa, na qual a população acadêmica apresenta na sua maioria as mesmas características.…”

Cryotherapy Produces Pain Relief in Young People with Primary Dysmenorrhea

“…Cryotherapy is a technique that uses cold to remove heat from the body tissue. This technique results in vasoconstriction, causing reduced tissue blood flow, oxygen utilization, inflammatory process, and muscle spasm; it then results in decreased metabolism, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects (Shi et al, 2017;da Silva et al, 2018;Flaherty, 2019). It is indicated for the treatment of pain generated by traumatic and/or inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders, mainly acute, for the reduction of edema and induction of muscle relaxation (Malanga et al, 2015;Young et al, 2016;do Nascimento-Júnior et al, 2019).…”