• Yehun Jin, Daehyun Kim, Jangho Hur, and Seung-Kwon Myung.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea; Department of Cancer AI & Digital Health, National Cancer Center Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
• Pain Physician. 2022 Oct 1; 25 (7): E931E939E931-E939.

BackgroundAlthough several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have reported the efficacy of scrambler therapy (ST) for the management of chronic pain, those findings remain inconsistent.ObjectivesThis meta-analysis aimed to investigate the efficacy of ST for the management of chronic pain.Study DesignA meta-analysis of RCTs.MethodsWe searched core databases including PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library for RCTs in October 2021. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for pain reduction were calculated using a random-effects model meta-analysis.ResultsOut of 348 studies, a total of 7 RCTs (n = 287 patients) that met the inclusion criteria were included in the final analysis. Overall, ST marginally decreased pain scores after the end of the treatment compared with the control group, with substantial heterogeneity (SMD, -0.85; 95% CI, -1.66 to -0.03; I2 = 89.5%, n = 7). A subgroup meta-analysis found that the use of ST significantly reduced analgesic consumption compared to the control group (SMD, -0.54; 95% CI, -0.93 to -0.14; I2 = 0.0%; n = 2). However, no significant efficacy was observed in the subgroup meta-analyses by methodological quality, type of diseases causing pain, and follow-up period.LimitationsThe included trials have a small sample size and low methodological quality.ConclusionsST seems to be effective in the management of patients with chronic pain. However, further, large RCTs are warranted to confirm our findings.

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