Physical therapy
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Tactile hypersensitivity is a common sequela of traumatic hand injury. Vibration is used clinically to reduce this hypersensitivity. The purpose of this study was to determine if vibration has an effect on tactile threshold and if so to determine the duration of that effect. ⋯ No significant change in mean tactile threshold was found in the control group. The results indicate that vibration does increase tactile threshold in "normal" hands and the effect lasts for at least 10 minutes. The application of this information to the clinical setting is discussed.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for low back pain. A comparison of TENS and massage for pain and range of motion.
Patients with acute or chronic low back pain were treated in a double-blind study that compared transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation at intense levels and gentle, mechanically administered massage. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation produced significantly greater pain relief, based on two measures of the McGill Pain Questionnaire, and significant improvement in straight leg raising. ⋯ Pain-relief scores and range-of-motion scores were significantly correlated. The results indicate that pain-relief scores provide valuable information and can easily be obtained from patients for whom pain is a major symptom.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Postoperative thoracotomy. Effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on forced vital capacity.
The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on patients who had undergone thoracotomies, using the objective physiological measurement of forced vital capacity. Twenty-one patients were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 11) or a control group (n = 10). ⋯ In addition, the experimental group was given a 10-minute treatment of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation at the sites of greatest pain. The data indicated a statistically significant increase in forced vital capacity during the stimulation (p less than .01), suggesting that transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation during application improves chest expansion and mobility in patients who have had thoracotomies.
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Basic neurophysiological principles necessary for understanding the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation are presented. Peripheral and central neural mechanisms are reviewed, and the effects of individual pulse characteristics on neural excitability are analyzed. Representative commercial stimulators are compared, and wave-forms for different load conditions are illustrated. Discussion includes important considerations for clinical effectiveness and for patient acceptance and safety.