Abstract
Background: Chronic sciatica is a common pathology with a lifetime prevalence of 84%. Current therapy options are inadequate or not long-lasting. Objectives: Evaluation of short-term application of High-Tone Electrical Muscle Stimulation (HTEMS) compared to Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) with chronic sciatica. Methods: Patients (n=100, (mean±SD) age=57±14 years, sex=42% male) with chronic sciatica were randomly assigned into two groups treated with either HTEMS or TENS. Each treatment was administered for a period of 45 min per day, 5 times within 7 days, with a 7-day wash-out period before crossover. A 5-day average of sciatic pain was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) before and after intervention. Drug administration was stable during the study. Results: Before crossover, pain intensity was significantly reduced by the HTEMS treatment (56±21 (60 [50-70]) to 45±21 (50 [30-60]) mm VAS; p<0.001), while no improvement occurred with TENS (59±19 (60 [50-70]) to 56±19 (60 [45-79]) mm VAS). After crossover, significant pain reduction was observed in both groups (both p <0.01) and did not differ between both groups after the whole intervention. Conclusion: HTEMS showed a higher potential for short-term reduction of pain than TENS and might offer new a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of chronic sciatica.
Highlights
Low back pain is a very common ailment that tends to affect most people with varying degrees of symptom1876-3863/18 2018 Bentham Open22 The Open Pain Journal, 2018, Volume 11 severity
Before crossover, pain intensity was significantly reduced by the High-Tone Electrical Muscle Stimulation (HTEMS) treatment (56±21 (60 [50-70]) to 45±21 (50 [30-60]) mm visual analog scale (VAS); p
HTEMS showed a higher potential for short-term reduction of pain than TENS and might offer new a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of chronic sciatica
Summary
Low back pain is a very common ailment that tends to affect most people with varying degrees of symptom1876-3863/18 2018 Bentham Open22 The Open Pain Journal, 2018, Volume 11 severity. Low back-related leg pain or sciatica is one of the most common variations. Chronic sciatic pain is a common reason for patient visits and hospitalization to a health care provider or physician [3]. The lifetime prevalence was shown to be as high as 84%, and the prevalence of pain chronification is about 23%, with 11-12% of the population being disabled [4]. Chronic sciatica and low back pain are the leading causes of disability for patients younger than 45 years [5] and represent collectively the third most common cause for surgical procedures [3]. The costs associated with sciatic pain include the direct costs of medical care and indirect costs for time lost from work, disability payments, and diminished productivity [6].
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