Interferential therapy electrode placement technique in acute low back pain: a preliminary investigation.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the efficacy of interferential therapy (IFT) electrode placement technique compared with a control treatment in subjects with acute low back pain (LBP).

DESIGN

Single-blind, randomized, controlled trial with a 3-month follow-up.

SETTING

Outpatient physiotherapy departments in hospital and university settings.

PATIENTS

A random sample of 60 eligible patients with back pain (28 men, 32 women) were recruited by general practitioners and self-referral for physiotherapy treatment and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups.

INTERVENTIONS

(1) "IFT painful area" and The Back Book, (2) "IFT spinal nerve" and The Back Book, and (3) "Control," The Back Book only. Standardized IFT stimulation parameters were used: carrier frequency 3.85 kHz; 140 Hz constant; pulse duration 130 micros; 30 minutes' duration.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Pain Rating Index, Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), and EuroQol were completed by subjects pretreatment, at discharge, and 3-month follow-up.

RESULTS

All groups had significant improvements in all outcomes at follow-up. Subjects managed by IFT spinal nerve and The Back Book displayed both a statistically significant (p = .030) and clinically meaningful reduction in functional disability (RMDQ), compared with management via IFT painful area and The Back Book combined or The Back Book alone.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings showed that IFT electrode placement technique affects LBP-specific functional disability, providing preliminary implications for future clinical studies.