Effectiveness of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and Interferential Current in Patients With Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain

Abstract


 Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and Interferential Current (IF) in patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain.
 Material and Methods: This quasi experimental study was performed in Khyber Teaching Hospital and Khyber Medical University Peshawar from August 2015 to January 2016. All patients were assessed before and after TENS and IF therapy using Visual Analogue Scale 0-10 (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Thirty patients were divided into two groups. TENS (group I) & IF (group II). In group I, patients received 10 minutes session with heat therapy (hot pack) and 20 minutes session with TENS. In group II, the patients received 10 minutes session with heat therapy (hot pack) and 20 minutes session with IF current.
 Results: Mean age of participants was 34.85±4.80 and 33.50±5.20 years in group I and group II. The mean of pain before treatment in group I was 6.47±.29 and that of group II was 5.60±.33 in which the minimum pain on VAS was 4 and maximum pain was 8. A pair T test was done to identify the difference between pre and post treatment score on VAS in the intervention. The p values shows .000 which is less than .05 indicate that there is significant difference present between pre and post treatment pain on VAS. The pair T test for disability percentage on ODI was done to identify the difference between pre and post treatment in the interventions. The p value was less than .05 which shows that there is significant difference and reduction of disability percentage on ODI. Conclusion: The study concluded that both the treatment methods TENS and IF are effective in decreasing pain intensity and disability in low back pain patients.