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 The
Effect of Microcurrent Stimulation on Postoperative Pain After
Patellar Tendon-Bone Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.
Sizer P, Sawyer S, Brismee J, Jones K*, Bruce J*, Slauterbeck J.,
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and *University Medical
Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
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PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the
effectiveness of microcurrent electrical therapy in providing pain
relief to a selected post-operative patient population.
SUBJECTS: Subjects were 19 females and 22 males (mean age of
21.1) who received arthroscopic bone-patellar tendon-bone anterior
cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.
METHODS AND MATERIALS: Subjects were randomly assigned to one
of two treatment groups (“Microcurrent” or “Placebo” Groups) in a
double blind experimental design. Using a portable microcurrent device
(Alpha-Stim 100 by Electromedical Products International, Inc, Mineral
Wells, Texas), the Microcurrent Group received 100 microamperes of
microcurrent at 0.5 Hz with a 50% duty cycle, which was below the
subject’s perception threshold. The Placebo Group followed the same
protocol with a placebo stimulator. All subjects were instructed to
use the microcurrent unit as needed for pain relief in one-hour
sessions, with at least 30 minutes between sessions. The 10 days
postoperative microcurrent protocol accompanied a standardized
physical therapy rehabilitation program. The subjects made daily
entries into a logbook, recording frequency of microcurrent use, pain
medication intake, and constant pain levels on a visual analog scale
(0 to 10).
ANALYSIS AND RESULTS: The subjects’ pain levels (dependent
variable), which decreased over time, were lower for all 10
post-operative days in the Microcurrent Group (n=25) compared to the
Placebo Group (n=16). A 2 (“Treatment Group”) x 10 (“Post-Operative
Time”) ANOVA (with repeated measures on “Post-Operative Time”)
demonstrated a significant between-subjects main effect for the
"Treatment Group" factor [F(1,39)=9.29, p=0.004], indicating that a
statistically lower degree of post-operative pain was experienced by
the subjects receiving microcurrent. In addition, a significant
within-subjects main effect for the "Post-Operative Time" factor
([F(9,9)=18.672, p<0.0001]) was obtained.
CONCLUSION: These results indicate that Alpha-Stim microcurrent
electrical therapy is beneficial for post-operative pain control after
ACL reconstruction.
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The Effect of Microcurrent Stimulation on Postoperative Pain After
Patellar Tendon-Bone Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. |
Used with permission of Electromedical Products
International, Inc.
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