Effect of adding interferential current stimulation to exercise on outcomes in primary care patients with chronic neck pain: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of adding interferential current stimulation to exercise on pain, disability, psychological status and range of motion in patients with neck pain. Design: A single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Setting: Primary care physiotherapy units. Subjects: A total of 84 patients diagnosed with non-specific mechanical neck pain. This sample was divided into two groups randomly: experimental ( n = 42) versus control group ( n = 42). Interventions: Patients in both groups had a supervised therapeutic exercise programme, with the experimental group having additional interferential current stimulation treatment. Main measures: The main measures used were intensity of neck pain according to the Visual Analogue Scale; the degree of disability according to the Neck Disability Index and the CORE Outcome Measure; anxiety and depression levels according to the Goldberg scale; apprehension as measured by the Personal Psychological Apprehension scale; and the range of motion of the cervical spine. The sample was evaluated at baseline and posttreatment (10 sessions/two weeks). Results: Statistically significant differences between groups at posttreatment were observed for Visual Analogue Scale (2.73 ± 1.24 vs 4.99 ± 1.56), Neck Disability Index scores (10.60 ± 4.77 vs 18.45 ± 9.04), CORE Outcome Measure scores (19.18 ± 9.99 vs 35.12 ± 13.36), Goldberg total score (6.17 ± 4.27 vs 7.90 ± 4.87), Goldberg Anxiety subscale, Personal Psychological Apprehension Scale scores (28.17 ± 9.61 vs 26.29 ± 11.14) and active and passive right rotation. Conclusions: Adding interferential current stimulation to exercise resulted in better immediate outcome across a range of measures.

Analgesic Effects of Interferential Current Therapy: A Narrative Review

“…No positive IFC therapy results have been found for shoulder disorders [36,37]. Nevertheless, IFC therapy has shown analgesic effects for neck pain [38,39], low back pain [21,22,[40][41][42], knee osteoarthritis [26,27,[43][44][45] or postoperative knee pain [4,46]. Most of these studies have used the following parameters: carrier frequency of 4 kHz, AMF between 30-180 Hz, for 20-40 min with a strong but comfortable intensity.…”

Transcutaneous electrical stimulation in neck pain: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Thirteen studies assessed the effects of ES combined with other intervention versus other intervention on pain intensity at rest immediately post-treatment (Albornoz-Cabello et al, 2019;Ardic et al, 2002;Azatcam et al, 2017;Chiu et al, 2005;Deka et al, 2016;Dissanayaka et al, 2016;Hendriks & Horgan, 1996;Hou et al, 2002;Kim et al, 2014;Liu et al, 2020;Nordemar & Thörner, 1981; ITT, intention-to-treat. Prabhakar & Ramteke, 2011;Tanrikut et al, 2003).…”

“…Prabhakar & Ramteke, 2011;Tanrikut et al, 2003). One meta-analysis with nine trials provided evidence of moderate quality (downgraded by inconsistency) showing that ES combined with other intervention significantly decreases pain intensity compared to other intervention immediately post-treatment (SMD −0.97; 95% CI −1.54 to −0.40) (Albornoz-Cabello et al, 2019;Ardic et al, 2002;Azatcam et al, 2017;Chiu et al, 2005;Deka et al, 2016;Hou et al, 2002;Kim et al, 2014;Liu et al, 2020;Nordemar & Thörner, 1981). Subgroup analysis according to type of NP and duration of symptoms showed significant pain reduction in NP (undetermined time) and radiculopathy (Figure 4a, Table 4).…”

Best Practices for Chiropractic Management of Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline

“…Table 7 summarizes the articles identified after searching for each specific modality from a pool of 348 articles. There were a total of 21 articles: 5 CPGs, 14,17,29,32,33 4 RCTS, [34][35][36][37] and 12 SRs, [38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] as shown by condition and therapy in Table 7.…”

“…Spinal manipulation and mobilization 16,18,85 Massage Low-level laser Acupuncture These modalities may be added as part of a multimodal treatment plan, especially at the beginning, to assist the patient in becoming or remaining active: Transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS), traction, ultrasound, and interferential current. 17,34,37 c. Mind-body interventions 16,18 Yoga qigong…”