Fisioterapeuta. Sala de Neurofisioterapia. Unidad de EM del Hospital Virgen de la Macarena. Sevilla, Spain.
Fisioterapeuta. Universidad de Jaén. Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Área de Fisioterapia. Jaén, Spain.
Neurologia (Engl Ed). 2021 Jul-Aug;36(6):433-439. doi: 10.1016/j.nrleng.2018.03.003. Epub 2020 Feb 7.
Pain is highly prevalent in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS); it is chronic in 50% of cases and is classified as nociceptive, neuropathic, or mixed-type. Pain affects quality of life, sleep, and the activities of daily living. Electrotherapy is an interesting alternative or complementary treatment in the management of pain in MS, with new innovations constantly appearing.
This study evaluates the effectiveness of treatment with monopolar dielectric transmission of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) for pain associated with MS. We performed a randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial including 24 patients, who were assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory, the Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale.
Statistically significant improvements were observed in maximum and mean pain scores, as well as in the impact of pain on work, personal relationships, and sleep and rest. Not significant differences were found between the treatment and placebo groups.
Treatment with PEMF may be effective in reducing pain in patients with MS, although further research is necessary to confirm its effectiveness over placebo and to differentiate which type of pain may be more susceptible to this treatment.
多发性硬化症（MS）患者普遍存在疼痛；50%的病例为慢性疼痛，可分为伤害感受性、神经性或混合性疼痛。疼痛会影响生活质量、睡眠和日常生活活动。电疗是 MS 疼痛管理中一种有趣的替代或补充治疗方法，新的创新技术不断涌现。
本研究评估了单极介电传输脉冲电磁场（PEMF）治疗与 MS 相关疼痛的疗效。我们进行了一项随机、安慰剂对照的临床试验，纳入了 24 名患者，使用简短疼痛量表、多发性硬化症国际生活质量问卷、贝克抑郁量表和改良疲劳影响量表进行评估。
最大和平均疼痛评分以及疼痛对工作、人际关系、睡眠和休息的影响均有显著改善。治疗组和安慰剂组之间未发现显著差异。
PEMF 治疗可能有效减轻 MS 患者的疼痛，但需要进一步研究以确认其对安慰剂的疗效，并区分哪种类型的疼痛可能更易受这种治疗的影响。
