A double-blind placebo controlled investigation into the analgesic effects of inferential currents (IFC) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on cold-induced pain in healthy subjects.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and interferential currents (IFC) are used by physiotherapists for the management of painful conditions. It is claimed that the analgesic profiles of TENS and IFC differ although no studies have directly compared the analgesic effects of the two mod...

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Publicado en:Physiotherapy Theory & Practice Vol. 15; no. 4; pp. 217 - 234
Autores principales: Johnson MI, Tabasam G
Formato: clinical trial research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Dec99
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: A double-blind placebo controlled investigation into the analgesic effects of inferential currents (IFC) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on cold-induced pain in healthy subjects.
      aug:
        au:
          Johnson MI
          Tabasam G
        affil: Principal Lecturer in Human Physiology, Faculty of Health and Environment, Leeds Metropolitan University, Calverley Street, Leeds LS1 3HE, UK. email: M.Johnson@LMU.ac.uk
      sug:
        subj:
          Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation
          Electrotherapy
          Pain Therapy
          Scales
          Cold
          Visual Analog Scaling
          Pain Threshold
          Pain Measurement
          Clinical Trials
          Two-Way Analysis of Variance
          Repeated Measures
          Linear Regression
          Placebos
          Double-Blind Studies
          Adolescence
          Adult
          Female
          Male
          Funding Source
          Human
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Female
          Male
      ab: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and interferential currents (IFC) are used by physiotherapists for the management of painful conditions. It is claimed that the analgesic profiles of TENS and IFC differ although no studies have directly compared the analgesic effects of the two modalities. The aim of this double blind placebo controlled study was to compare the analgesic effects of TENS and IFC on cold-induced pain in healthy volunteers. Twenty one subjects completed six cycles of the cold-induced pain test (two pre-treatment, two during treatment, and two post-treatment). During each cycle pain threshold was recorded as the time from immersion of the subject's hand in cold water to the first sensation of pain and pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings were recorded using visual analogue scales. Subjects received one of the following treatments during the two treatment cycles: IFC, TENS, or sham electrotherapy. IFC and TENS were delivered at a 'strong but comfortable' intensity via two electrodes applied over the anterior aspect of the forearm. Sham electrotherapy was administered by a 'dummy' stimulator with no current output. All stimulators were visually identical. Analysis of the results found that IFC and TENS significantly elevated pain threshold when compared to sham electrotherapy (P<.05). There were no significant differences in the magnitude of the increase in pain threshold between IFC and TENS. No significant changes in pain intensity or unpleasantness ratings were found between the three treatment groups. We conclude that there were no differences in the analgesic effects of IFC and TENS under the present experimental conditions.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        clinical trial
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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