Reducing Lower Back Pain Using the Muscle Energy Technique Versus Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation

Abstract

Working from home for a long time during the Covid-19 pandemic led to many complaints of musculoskeletal disorders, such as lower back pain. This is caused by stress or spasm in the back muscles which makes the stability of the abdominal and lower back muscles decrease. Treatments include the muscle energy technique (MET) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). MET can reduce pain through the provision of post-isometric relaxation stimulation, stimulating the proprioception and neurophysiology, and causing a hypoalgesic effect in the lower back area, while TENS blocks pain-conducting nerves. Studies have not yet determined conclusively which treatment is most effective. In this literature review, relevant articles published from 2015-2020 were found by searching in Google Scholar and PubMed. The keywords used included low back pain, muscle energy technique and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. The population, intervention, comparison group, outcome and study design were considered in the selection of the articles. There were 6 journal articles that met the research criteria, namely 3 that examined the MET intervention and 3 for the TENS intervention. The results showed that MET with a dose of 3-5x/session can reduce pain after the second day, while TENS, when placed locally, can take roughly a month to reduce lower back pain. The findings showed that MET is more effective in reducing lower back pain than TENS.
 Keywords: low back pain, muscle energy technique, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation