Effects of Electrical Stimulation of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve and Acupuncture Stimulation in Patients with Myofascial Pain Syndrome

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effective stimulating mode of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and acupuncture for pain relief. METHOD: The subjects were 40 patients with MPS. In 20 patients, TENS were applied to the trigger point. In other 20 patients, acupuncture mode electrical stimulation were applied to the acupuncture site by measuring skin impedance of affected muscle. RESULTS: The visual Analogue Scale (VAS) decreased 20.48 (19.15%) in the group applied TENS mode and 30.08 (16.97%) in the group applied acupuncture mode after 1 week. The VAS decreased 33.19 (25.76%) in the groupapplied TENS mode and 46.48(17.76%) in the group applied acupuncture mode after 2 week (p<0.05). The pressure threshold was increased 16.07 (17.45%) in the group applied TENS mode and 26.09 (22.20%) in the group applied acupuncture mode after 1 week. The pressure threshold increased 24.88 (23.25%) in the group applied TENS mode and 41.11 (27.35%) in the group applied acupuncture mode after 2 week. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture mode was more effective treatment modality in MPS for pain relief than TENS mode.