Physical therapy
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Effects of auricular transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on distal extremity pain: a pilot study.
The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of auricular acupuncture-like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on pain. Fifteen subjects (6 men, 9 women) experiencing distal extremity pain received either one placebo pill or a 10-minute treatment of acupuncture-like TENS bilaterally to five acupuncture points on the auricle. Pain levels were measured before treatment and at 0, 10, and 30 minutes posttreatment using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the pain rating index (PRI) of the McGill Pain Questionnaire. ⋯ The Experimental and Control Group means on the PRI were significantly different (p less than .05) at all three posttreatment measurements, but not at pretreatment baseline measurement. These results suggest that auricular acupuncture-like TENS could be an alternative for relief of distal extremity pain. Additional clinical studies are necessary to validate the results of this study.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Changes in innominate tilt after manipulation of the sacroiliac joint in patients with low back pain. An experimental study.
The purposes of this study were to 1) propose a method to detect sacroiliac joint dysfunction (SIJD), 2) test the interrater reliability of the method on a group of patients with low back pain (LBP), and 3) document changes in innominate tilt after manipulation of the sacroiliac joint. Criteria for SIJD were established by the authors. Twenty-six patients with unilateral LBP were examined independently for presence of SIJD by two examiners. ⋯ Data were analyzed using a mixed three-factor analysis of variance. The data analysis revealed that the manipulation procedure resulted not only in an altered innominate tilt of the same side but also in an equal and opposite tilt of the opposite side (F = 67.07; df = 1.18; p less than .05). The results indicate that SIJD can be identified reliably in patients with LBP and that a manipulative procedure purported to be specific to the sacroiliac joint changes innominate tilt bilaterally and in opposite directions.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation at auricular points on experimental cutaneous pain threshold.
The purposes of this study were 1) to examine the effect of high intensity, low frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation at auricular acupuncture points on experimental pain threshold measured at the wrist and 2) to determine the changes in effect over time. Forty-four healthy adult men and women were assigned randomly to one of three treatment groups. Group 1 (n = 15) received TENS to appropriate auricular points for wrist pain, Group 2 (n = 14) received TENS to inappropriate (placebo) auricular points, and Group 3 (n = 15) received no TENS. ⋯ Group 1 was the only group that had a statistically significant increase (p less than .05) in pain threshold after testing. This increase remained significant for all posttreatment measurements for Group 1. These results suggest that high intensity, low frequency TENS applied to appropriate auricular acupuncture points can increase pain threshold.