Correlation between change in pain, disability, and surface electromyography topographic parameters after interferential current treatment in patients with chronic low back pain.
Wai Ying Lai, Hongyan Cui, Yong Hu
PMID 34658523WHAT IT FOUND
In 29 patients with chronic low back pain, pain and disability scores were lower after 6 weeks of interferential current, and a flexion muscle signal change tracked pain change.
There was no control group, so this cannot show the treatment caused the improvement.
Key findings
01In 29 patients who completed the study, pain scores were 6.03 before treatment and 2.93 after treatment, and disability scores were 10.34 before treatment and 6.62 after treatment.
02The flexion muscle-signal measure changed significantly (p<0.001), and its change correlated with pain change (r=0.593, p=0.001), but SEMG topography did not significantly correlate with disability change.
03The extension muscle-signal measure did not change significantly (p=0.385).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study had no control group, so it cannot show that interferential current caused the changes. Only 29 patients were analysed, and 76.7% were female, so the results may not apply to other groups. Therapist blinding was not possible, and participants were not given detailed study information. SEMG topography did not show a statistically clear correlation with disability change, so it may not capture functional improvement. The extension muscle-signal measure did not change clearly, and electrode position or contact artefacts may have affected the SEMG results.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that interferential current caused pain and disability improvement. The study had no control group, and the muscle-signal measures did not track disability change.