• Y B Yip, Hing-Min Sonny Tse, and Ka Kalina Wu.
• School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, PR China. yipvera@gmail.com
• Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2007 Feb 1;13(1):4-14.

ObjectivesTo compare the efficacy of combined transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation (TAES) and electromagnetic millimeter wave (EMMW) therapy as an add-on treatment for pain relief and physical functional activity enhancement among adults with sub-acute non-specific spinal pain in either the low back or neck.DesignA non-blinded study with data obtained before, immediate, one week and three months after intervention.SettingThe Telehealth Clinic and Community Centre, Hong Kong.ParticipantsForty-seven subjects with either sub-acute neck or low back pain.InterventionSubjects were randomly allocated to either an intervention group (n=23) or a control group (n=24). These groups were then divided into subgroups according to the site of their spinal pain-neck or back. The intervention group had eight treatments over a three-week period of TAES and EMMW.Outcome MeasuresChanges from baseline to the end of treatment were assessed at intervals of one week and three months on either neck or low back pain intensity [by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)]; stiffness level; stress level; neck or low back lateral flexion and forward flexion in cm, and interference with daily activities.ResultsThe baseline VAS scores for the intervention and control groups were 5.34 and 5.18 out of 10, respectively (P value=0.77). At the one week and three month assessments, there were no significant differences between the groups-VAS (P value=0.09 and 0.27, respectively). A further subgroup of chronic pain sufferers (n=31) was identified and these had significantly reduced pain intensity at the one week assessment (P value=0.04) but this was not sustained at post three months after treatment (P value=0.15). Improvements in stiffness level, stress level, and functional disability level in the intervention group were not significant.ConclusionsOur study shows that there was a reduction in pain intensity, stress and stiffness level immediately after the eight sessions of treatment (TAES and EMMW), though the effect is not sustained after a week. No pain relief was found with the neck pain subgroup. However, the reduction in subjective average pain intensity among the chronic pain subgroup was sustained at the post one week assessment for the intervention group but not at the post three month assessment.

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