Effectiveness Of Electrotherapy Research Articles

The Effectiveness of Electrotherapy and Exercise Therapy on Pain and Balance in Elderly Women with Knee Osteoarthritis

The Effectiveness of Electrotherapy and Exercise Therapy on Pain and Balance in Elderly Women with Knee Osteoarthritis

The effectiveness and safety of electrotherapy in the management of fibromyalgia.

Treating fibromyalgia is a challenging task for physicians. With its multifaceted features, fibromyalgia requires a comprehensive management strategy focusing on both the pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options. During the last decades, there has been growing evidence regarding the role of electrotherapy in fibromyalgia treatment. In this regard, the present article aimed to review the recent literature on the effectiveness and safety of the electrotherapy in the treatment of fibromyalgia. A literature search was conducted through PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus databases. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), non-invasive brain stimulation (transcranial direct current/magnetic stimulation), and light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (LASER) emerged as the most commonly examined electrotherapy techniques in fibromyalgia. Currently, there is growing data regarding the effectiveness of electrotherapy in the management of fibromyalgia-related pain. Besides, non-invasive electrotherapy techniques are related to no/minor side effects. Further studies are warranted to identify the optimal treatment protocols for each electrotherapy modality.

Effectiveness of Hydro-Galvanic Bath Therapy on Global Health Status, Quality of Life, Depression, and Pain in Individuals with Fibromyalgia – A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract Purpose Although a number of treatments are widely prescribed for fibromyalgia (FM), many are not fully effective. In clinical practice, the effectiveness of electrotherapy is limited in particular to hydro-galvanic bath therapy in the management of FM. This experiment aims to evaluate whether hydro-galvanic bath therapy can be beneficial in decreasing pain and increasing quality of life for individuals with FM. Material and Methods This quasi-experimental study recruited 92 individuals diagnosed with FM who were then divided equally either into a galvanic group or control group. The galvanic group received both hydro-galvanic bath therapy and a 12-week supervised aerobic exercise program, whereas the control group only received the exercise program. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and post-intervention using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), SF-36 Health Survey, and Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Results and discussion Individuals in both groups showed excellent compliance with interventions by attending more than 85% of sessions. Both groups showed a significant change in all outcome measures evaluated (p<0.001), but the galvanic group showed greater improvements when compared with the control group (p<0.001). The galvanic group showed a 16.6% of FIQ score, 8.2% of SF-36 score, 25.0% of BDI score, and 53.2% of VAS score from baseline. In turn, the control group demonstrated a reduction of 6.8% of FIQ score, 11.8% of SF-36 score, 22.0% of BDI score, and 41.6% of VAS score. Conclusion The galvanic group who received galvanic bath therapy along with aerobic exercise for 12 weeks evoked greater change in FIQ, BDI, and SF-36 Health Survey scores compared with results of aerobic exercise alone in control group.

Electrotherapy for Neck Disorders (Review)

Purpose: Neck disorders are common, disabling and costly. The effectiveness of electrotherapy as a physiotherapy option has remained unclear. Objective of this systematic review is to assess whether electrotherapy, either alone or in combination with other treatments, relieves pain, or improves function/disability, patient satisfaction, and global perceived effect in adults with mechanical neck disorders (MND).

A Cochrane Review of Electrotherapy for Mechanical Neck Disorders

Systematic review. To assess whether electrotherapy relieves pain or improves function/disability in adults with mechanical neck disorders (MND). The effectiveness of electrotherapy as a physiotherapy option has remained unclear. Databases were searched from root to March 2003. Independent reviewers conducted selection, data abstraction, and quality assessment. Relative risk and standard mean differences were calculated. Fourteen comparisons were included. For the pain outcome, we found limited evidence of benefit, ie, pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy resulted in only immediate post-treatment pain relief for chronic MND and acute whiplash (WAD). Other findings included unclear or conflicting evidence (Galvanic current for acute or chronic occipital headache; iontophoresis for acute, subacute WAD; TENS for acute WAD, chronic MND; PEMF for medium- or long-term effects in acute WAD, chronic MND); and limited evidence of no benefit (diadynamic current for reduction of trigger point tenderness in chronic MND, cervicogenic headache; permanent magnets for chronic MND; electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) for chronic MND). In pain as well as other outcomes, the evidence for treatment of acute or chronic MND by different forms of electrotherapy is either lacking, limited, or conflicting.

Management of back pain

Purpose : Low back pain (LBP) constitutes one of the most difficult and costly medical problems in industrial countries, with a prevalence of 25 to 30% in an adult lifetime span and an incidence of about 5% per year. Method : Based on risk factors cited in the pertinent literature, the evaluation, diagnosis and therapeutic options for LBP are outlined. Especially the latter can be highlighted on the basis of a large number of systematic reviews. Results : Bed rest is no longer regarded as an effective treatment for episodes of acute LBP, except when the patient has evident clinical signs of nerve root compression. Exercise therapy comprises a wide range of concepts and underlying physiological principles. Different concepts are discussed. Evidence suggests no specific effects of exercise therapy in acute LBP. In chronic LBP, exercise as well as combined treatment with several modalities appear to be superior to conventional medical care. In the past decade, reconditioning of the paraspinal muscles is being given increasing importance in research. Several studies indicate the effectiveness of vigorous strengthening of paraspinal and trunk muscles on pain and even disc surgery. Different underlying pathologies seem to respond equally well to this concept. Back school concepts are not proven to have long-term effects on LBP. The literature on electrotherapy and massage in LBP is generally sparse. Nevertheless, some studies suggest the effectiveness of electrotherapy on pain reduction at least in the short term. Spinal mobilization seems to be effective in reducing pain. Conclusion : Based on these evidence-based conclusions, the patient's medical history, the investigation and the diagnosis the clinician has to devise an individual treatment plan that takes the deficiencies and requirements of the patient into account.

Tumour treatment by direct electric current: Electrode material deposition

Direct current electrotherapy was demonstrated to be an effective and relatively inexpensive local treatment of murine solid subcutaneous tumours. The insufficient knowledge of the mechanisms involved hinders its more extensive use in clinical oncology. Attempts were made to establish the correlation between the effectiveness of electrotherapy and deposition of the electrode material in the tumours. Electrotherapy was performed as a 1 h single-shot treatment in different electrode (gold) configurations, one electrode inserted in the tumour being the anode and its pair subcutaneously in the vicinity of the tumour being the cathode, and vice versa, and with both electrodes placed subcutaneously in the tumour vicinity. Tumour growth and the amount of electrode material in tumours were determined at different times after single-shot electrotherapy with gold needle electrodes. Different electrode configurations were employed with respect to tumours at the same current level and different current levels were used in the same electrode configuration. The amount of gold deposited in the tumour was observed with respect to tumour response to electrotherapy. Tumour growth after 0.6 mA direct current electrotherapy was significantly retarded with respect to controls regardless of the electrode configuration, with no significant differences among them. The amount of gold per tumour, however, varied significantly with the electrode configuration. In the experiments in which both electrodes were placed subcutaneously outside the tumour, increasing current intensities produced a “dose”-dependent tumour growth response to electrotherapy which was not related to the amount of gold found in the tumours. The results obtained in this study showed that the electrode material deposition (gold) and possibly consecutive metal toxicity were not the major mechanism involved.