Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and Interferential Currents in Chronic Low Back Pain

NCT ID: NCT01017913

Last Updated: 2009-11-23

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

150 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2006-03-31

Study Completion Date

2007-12-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of the TENS and IFC in patients with non specific chronic low back pain.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Setting Outpatient physiotherapy department in university (Cesumar)

Participants A hundred and fifty patients with non specific chronic low back pain with or without radicular pain.

Interventions The patients were randomly divided into three groups: 1) TENS; 2) IFC; e 3) Control. Ten sessions of electrotherapy for groups 1 and 2, while the patients of the Control group stayed without any treatment in the same period

Main Outcome Measures Intensity of the pain through the Visual Analogue Scale and McGill Pain Questionnaire; specific functional disability by Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire; Analgesic period (hours); and the medication consumption

Statistic Analysis All data were analyzed using Statistica version 7 and SAS version 9.1. Baseline characteristics were compared using the Shapiro-Wilks test for continuous variables and then analysis of variance for measuring independent data. The characteristics of the patients who finished the treatment were compared with those of the lost patients, using one-way ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis test.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Chronic Low Back Pain

Keywords

Explore important study keywords that can help with search, categorization, and topic discovery.

rehabilitation electrotherapy back pain

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Electrotherapy equipment

The TENS equipment was calibrated on 20 hertz frequency, and a pulse width of 330 ms with two channels.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

TENS

Intervention Type OTHER

The TENS equipment was calibrated on 20 hertz frequency, and a pulse width of 330 ms (standing in control number seven) with two channels.

Interferential currents

Intervention Type OTHER

The IFC was adjusted to a base frequency of 4000 Hz, with a modulation frequency range of 20 Hz, ∆F of 10 Hz and slope of 1/1, in quadripolar mode.

electrotherapy equipment

The CI was adjusted with 4000 HZ bases frequency, modulation frequency range 20 HZ, ∆F10 HZ, slope 1/1 and quadripolar manner.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

TENS

Intervention Type OTHER

The TENS equipment was calibrated on 20 hertz frequency, and a pulse width of 330 ms (standing in control number seven) with two channels.

Interferential currents

Intervention Type OTHER

The IFC was adjusted to a base frequency of 4000 Hz, with a modulation frequency range of 20 Hz, ∆F of 10 Hz and slope of 1/1, in quadripolar mode.

Control

The patients of the Control group stayed without any treatment in the same period

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

TENS

Intervention Type OTHER

The TENS equipment was calibrated on 20 hertz frequency, and a pulse width of 330 ms (standing in control number seven) with two channels.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

TENS

The TENS equipment was calibrated on 20 hertz frequency, and a pulse width of 330 ms (standing in control number seven) with two channels.

Intervention Type OTHER

Interferential currents

The IFC was adjusted to a base frequency of 4000 Hz, with a modulation frequency range of 20 Hz, ∆F of 10 Hz and slope of 1/1, in quadripolar mode.

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

Transcutaneous electrical nervous stimulation IFC: intereferential currents electrotherapy

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Individuals who had had low back pain for less than three months

Exclusion Criteria

* Individuals who were receiving treatment for their pain with another method at the same time, except for medicines;
* Pregnant women;
* Patients who had undergone vertebral column surgery (less than three months before the time of this study);
* Individuals with contraindications against electrotherapy, such as skin lesions, abnormal sensitivity, infectious and blood diseases, heart pacemakers or inability to answer questionnaires;
* Patients with fibromyalgia;
* Individuals with psychiatric problems;
* Individuals who refused to participate or were unwilling to follow a protocol lasting for two weeks.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Centro Universitario de Maringa

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Federal University of São Paulo

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Unifesp/ Cesumar

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Ligia M Facci

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Unifesp/ Cesumar

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Cesumar

Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Brazil

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Facci LM, Nowotny JP, Tormem F, Trevisani VF. Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and interferential currents (IFC) in patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain: randomized clinical trial. Sao Paulo Med J. 2011;129(4):206-16. doi: 10.1590/s1516-31802011000400003.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 21971895 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

0143/06

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id