The effects of TENS, interferential stimulation, and combined interferential stimulation and pulsed ultrasound on patients with disc herniation-induced radicular pain.

Background: Electrotherapy is part of a physician's toolbox for treating various musculoskeletal conditions, including radicular pain, but the preferred modality is yet unclear.

Objective: To compare the short-term efficacy of three electrotherapeutic modalities in relieving lumbar disc herniation (LDH)-induced radicular pain.

Methods: Fourteen patients with LDH-induced radicular pain attended a single session of electrotherapy, which included four 10-min consecutive treatments: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), interferential (IF) stimulation, a combined treatment with pulsed ultrasound and IF current (CTPI), and a sham control.

Efficiency of Tissue Penetration by Currents Induced by 3 Electrotherapeutic Techniques: A Comparative Study Using a Novel Deep-Tissue Measuring Technique.

Background: Electrotherapy provides a wide range of treatment alternatives for musculoskeletal pathologies. However, for the electrical stimulation to exert a significant therapeutic effect, the induced current must often penetrate deep inside the target tissue.

Objective: The objective was to systematically compare the penetration efficiency of 3 electrotherapeutic stimulation modalities: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), interferential (IF) stimulation, and combined therapy with pulsed ultrasound and IF current (CTPI).

Segmental noxious versus innocuous electrical stimulation for chronic pain relief and the effect of fading sensation during treatment.

It is not clear whether segmental innocuous stimulation has a stronger analgesic effect than segmental noxious stimulation for chronic pain and whether the fading of current sensation during treatment interferes with the analgesic effect, as suggested by the gate control theory. Electrical stimulation (by way of Interferential Current) applied at the pain area (segmental) was administered to 4 groups of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) knee pain. Two groups were administered with noxious stimulation (30% above pain threshold) and two with innocuous stimulation (30% below pain threshold).