Analgesic Current Therapies for Chronic Neck Pain

Does The Use Of Analgesic Current Therapies Increase The Effectiveness Of Neck Stabilization Exercises For Improving Pain, Disability, Mood, And Quality Of Life In Chronic Neck Pain? A Randomized, Controlled, Single-Blind Study

Does the use of analgesic current therapies increase the effectiveness of neck stabilization exercises for improving pain, disability, mood, and quality of life in chronic neck pain? a randomized, controlled, single-blind study

Analgesic therapies; such as interferential current (IFC) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) have been applied solo or combined with exercise for management of neck pain (NP), however, the efficacy of these combinations are unclear. In this study, our objective were to determine if TENS or IFC increase the effectiveness of neck stabilization exercises on pain, disability, mood, and quality of life for chronic NP. 81 patients with chronic NP were included in the study. Patients were randomly assigned into 3 groups; Group I: neck stabilization exercise, Group II: TENS+ neck stabilization exercise and Group III: IFC+ neck stabilization exercise. Patients' pain levels (visual analogue scale (VAS)), quality of life (short form- 36), mood (Beck depression inventory (BDI)), levels of disability (Neck Pain and Disability Index) and the need for analgesics were evaluated prior to treatment, at 6th and 12th week follow-up. All participants had group exercise accompanied by a physiotherapist for 3 weeks and an additional 3 weeks of home exercise program.

The patients were asked to make an assessment of their pain between 0 (no pain) and 10 (severe pain).

This is a self-administered scale, which is widely used to measure the quality of life. It was developed to measure the quality of life in patients who have physical illnesses; however, it can also be successfully used in healthy individuals and patients who have psychiatric diseases. SF-36 includes 36 items and surveys eight domains of health, such as physical functionality, physical role limitations, pain, general health, vitality, social functionality, emotional role limitations, and mental health.

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); was used to assess the depression levels of the patients. The BDI evaluates 21 symptoms of depression. These symptoms deal with emotions, behavioral changes, and somatic symptoms. Each symptom is rated on a 4-point intensity scale. Higher scores indicate more severe depression

The questionnaire consists of 20 items and measures neck movements, pain intensity, effect of neck pain on emotion factors, and interference with daily life activities. Each section is scored on a 0-5 rating scale and total score ranges from 0 to 100.

Inclusion Criteria: Both genders between 20-50 years, had chronic neck pain Exclusion Criteria: Having disc hernia that causes neurological deficit Having malignity, Having neck pain secondary neurological or vascular disease. Pregnancy Having psychiatric disease Having arthritic disease Having any contraindication for electrotherapy