• Duangporn Suriya-amarit, Chitanongk Gaogasigam, Akkradate Siriphorn, and Sujitra Boonyong.
• Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
• Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2014 Aug 1; 95 (8): 1441-6.

ObjectiveTo study the immediate effects of interferential current stimulation (IFC) on shoulder pain and pain-free passive range of motion (PROM) of the shoulder in people with hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP).DesignDouble-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.SettingInstitutional physical therapy clinic, neurologic rehabilitation center.ParticipantsA population-based sample of people with HSP (N=30) was recruited.InterventionParticipants were divided into 2 groups--an IFC group and a placebo group--by using a match-paired method (age, sex, and Brunnstrom motor recovery stage). In the IFC group, participants received IFC for 20 minutes with an amplitude-modulated frequency at 100 Hz in vector mode. The current intensity was increased until the participants felt a strong tingling sensation.Main Outcome MeasuresPain intensity and pain-free PROM of the shoulder until the onset of pain were measured at baseline and immediately after treatment.ResultsParticipants reported a greater reduction in pain during the most painful movement after treatment with IFC than with placebo (P<.05). The IFC group showed a greater improvement in posttreatment pain-free PROM than the placebo group in shoulder flexion (P<.01), abduction (P<.01), internal rotation (P<.01), and external rotation (P<.01).ConclusionsThis study provides evidence that IFC is effective for the relief of pain during movement and also increases the pain-free PROM of the shoulder in people with HSP.Copyright © 2014 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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