Electrical interferential current stimulation versus electrical acupuncture in management of hemiplegic shoulder pain and disability following ischemic stroke-a randomized clinical trial.

The study had no sham or control group, so patients knew they were receiving a treatment and placebo effects cannot be ruled out. Patients and the treating physician were not blinded; only the outcome assessor was blinded. The sample was small, with 20 patients in each group. Follow-up was only 5 weeks, so long-term effects are unknown. The two modalities were not matched: interferential current used 4 electrodes, while electroacupuncture used 12 needle insertion points plus 2 to 3 trigger points. Both groups also received superficial heat and therapeutic exercises, so the study cannot show what the electrical modality alone contributed. The study was done in a university rehabilitation clinic, with a mean patient age of 57 years and a female predominance, which may not match all stroke populations.

Do not conclude that interferential current or electroacupuncture alone treats post-stroke shoulder pain. Both groups also received superficial heat and therapeutic exercises, and there was no sham or control group, so the added modality cannot be separated from the conventional therapy.