Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Analgesic efficacy of high-frequency spinal cord stimulation: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.
Spinal cord stimulation is a recognized treatment of chronic neuropathic and vascular pain. Recent data suggest that the use of very high-frequency (HF) stimulation modes does produce analgesia without paresthesia. ⋯ This is the first randomized double-blind study on SCS. HFSCS was equivalent to sham for the primary outcome (improvement of PGIC) as well as for both the secondary outcomes (VAS and EQ-5D index). There was a highly statistically significant "period effect" (p = 0.006) with improved PGIC scores in the first study period regardless of the treatment. The same trend was seen for VAS and EQ-5D. It appears that the effect of HFSCS and sham is equal and only the order in the sequence, not the nature of the treatment, seems to dictate the effect.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Functional electrical stimulation with exercises for standing balance and weight transfer in acute stroke patients: a feasibility randomized controlled trial.
To test parameters needed for the design of a larger trial including the following: 1) identifying eligible participants, recruitment, and retention rates; 2) the feasibility and acceptability of delivering functional electrical stimulation (FES) to the gluteus maximus and quadriceps femoris for acute stroke patients in a hospital rehabilitation setting; 3) the outcome measures; 4) obtaining initial estimates of effect size; and 5) clarifying the relevant control group. ⋯ FES is feasible in this patient group but further feasibility and definitive trials are required.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Spinal cord stimulation therapy for patients with refractory angina who are not candidates for revascularization.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for refractory angina. ⋯ Although this study was terminated early, the results obtained at six months suggest that SCS (HS) is not more effective than the control (LS) in patients with refractory angina.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Temporal profile of functional visual rehabilitative outcomes modulated by transcranial direct current stimulation.
We have previously reported that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) delivered to the occipital cortex enhances visual functional recovery when combined with three months of computer-based rehabilitative training in patients with hemianopia. The principal objective of this study was to evaluate the temporal sequence of effects of tDCS on visual recovery as they appear over the course of training and across different indicators of visual function. ⋯ These results suggest that tDCS may differentially affect the magnitude and sequence of visual recovery in a manner that is task specific to the type of visual rehabilitative training strategy employed.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A comparison of the hypoalgesic effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and non-invasive interactive neurostimulation (InterX(®)) on experimentally induced blunt pressure pain using healthy human volunteers.
Non-invasive interactive neurostimulation (InterX(®)) delivers high amplitude electrical pulsed currents at points of low impedance on the skin. This study compared the hypoalgesic effect of non-invasive interactive neurostimulation with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). ⋯ Given the limited power of this study, we show that there were no significant differences in hypoalgesia between non-invasive interactive neurostimulation and TENS. Unlike our previous studies we also failed to detect a change pain threshold during TENS. Nevertheless, our findings can be used to inform the design of an appropriately powered study on pain patients.