20-kHz alternating current stimulation: effects on motor and somatosensory thresholds.
Diego Serrano-Muñoz, Juan Avendaño-Coy, Cristina Simón-Martínez and 2 others
PMID 32075666WHAT IT FOUND
20 kHz electrical stimulation over the median and ulnar nerves reduced handgrip strength during and just after stimulation, slightly raised the force needed to detect light touch, and did not change pressure pain threshold in healthy volunteers.
Key findings
0120 kHz stimulation lowered maximal handgrip strength at 15 min compared with baseline and sham, and at 20 min compared with sham.
02The force needed to detect light touch was slightly higher at 15 min under 20 kHz than under sham, but post-hoc within-group testing did not show a significant difference.
03Pressure pain threshold did not differ significantly between 20 kHz and sham stimulation or across time.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was done in healthy volunteers, so it does not show what happens in patients with neurological motor hyperactivity. The sensory tests depend on what participants feel and report. The assessor was not blinded to which intervention was given. Participant blinding was not formally tested. The study did not use direct nerve conduction or evoked potential measures. Only 14 volunteers completed the trial.
Declared interests
The paper states the funder as Instituto. No additional conflict-of-interest details are provided.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the handgrip strength decrease as evidence that 20 kHz stimulation treats spasticity or pain in patients. It was tested only in healthy volunteers, and pressure pain threshold did not change.