Efficacy of electroacupuncture and TENS in the rehabilitation of
chronic low back pain patients.
by
Lehmann TR; Russell DW; Spratt KF; Colby H; Liu YK; Fairchild ML;
Christensen S
From: Pain, 26: 3, 1986 Sep, 277-90
Fifty-four patients treated in a 3-week inpatient rehabilitation
program were randomly assigned to and accepted treatment with
electroacupuncture (n = 17), TENS (low intensity transcutaneous nerve
stimulation, n = 18), and TENS dead-battery (placebo, n = 18). Outcome
measures included estimates of pain (on a Visual Analogue Scale) and
disability by both physician and patient, physical measures of trunk
strength and spine range of motion, as well as the patient's
perceptions of the relative contribution of the education, exercise
training, and the electrical stimulation. Analyses of variance were
utilized to determine effects of treatment (electroacupuncture, TENS,
placebo) across time (admission, discharge, and return) for the outcome
measures. There were no significant differences between treatment
groups with respect to their overall rehabilitation. All 3 treatment
groups ranked the contribution of the education as being greater than
the electrical stimulation. However, the electroacupuncture group
consistently demonstrated greater improvement on the outcome measures
than the other treatment groups. For the visual analogue scale measure
of average pain, there was a statistical trend at the return visit
suggesting that the acupuncture group was experiencing less pain.