Extrasegmental transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and mechanical vibratory stimulation as compared to placebo for the relief of acute oro-facial pain.

The present paper describes the pain reducing effect of high and low frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and 100 Hz mechanical vibratory stimulation as compared to placebo stimulation of the HoKu point in 50 patients suffering acute oro-facial pain. Ten of the 30 patients receiving actual stimulation reported pain reduction during treatment. In the placebo group of 20 patients, 4 of the subjects experienced pain relief during the trial. The findings in the present study showed that extrasegmental superficial stimulation of the HoKu point alters pain intensity in the patients studied to only a minor degree. The number of patients reporting pain alleviation and the magnitude of pain reduction in the groups receiving actual stimulation was comparable to that observed in earlier studies using intrasegmental placebo stimulation.