Effects of capacitive and resistive electric transfer therapy on pain and lumbar muscle stiffness and activity in patients with chronic low back pain.
Michio Wachi, Takumi Jiroumaru, Ayako Satonaka and 6 others
PMID 35527841WHAT IT FOUND
A single 15-minute session of capacitive and resistive electric transfer therapy significantly reduced pain and lumbar muscle stiffness in men with chronic low back pain compared to sham.
It did not, however, normalize muscle activity patterns during forward trunk flexion.
Key findings
01Post-intervention, pain intensity and muscle stiffness values were significantly lower than pre-intervention in the treatment group.
02There was no between-group difference in the flexion-relaxation phenomenon, with no difference in the RMS value of the lumbar multifidus muscle at the end-point of standing trunk flexion.
03There were no changes in measured outcomes, from baseline to post-intervention, for the sham intervention group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study included only male participants, limiting generalizability to women with chronic low back pain. The sample size was small (24 participants total). The intervention was a single session, so long-term effects are unknown. The study did not evaluate the effect of CRet on passive spinal tissues, which may contribute to the flexion-relaxation phenomenon. Exclusion criteria removed patients with confirmed flexion-relaxation phenomenon before intervention, which may bias the sample.
Declared interests
This clinical trial was not funded. There are no conflicts of interest to declare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume CRet corrects movement dysfunction. While it reduced pain and stiffness, it did not normalize muscle activity during trunk flexion, meaning it may not address the motor control deficits associated with chronic low back pain.