Physiotherapy
-
To generate expert consensus evidence for the purpose of developing more complete guidelines for people with persistent low back pain than is possible using current research evidence alone. Gaps in research evidence lead to incomplete practice recommendations unless a scientific process can provide supplementary consensus evidence that is a basis for additional recommendations. ⋯ The modified NGT was a practical and cost-effective way of generating consensus evidence from a UK-wide group. The consensus evidence was the basis of appropriately graded recommendations for effective care of people with persistent low back pain. Consensus methods have been little used in physiotherapy to date but are likely to be valuable in developing clinically useful, evidence-based tools for future practice.
-
Comparative Study
A comparison of the analgesic efficacy of medium-frequency alternating current and TENS.
To compare the analgesic efficacy of burst-modulated medium-frequency alternating current (BMAC) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) using an experimental cold pain model. ⋯ BMAC is as effective as TENS in increasing cold pain thresholds in healthy subjects. Since BMAC has been shown to be more comfortable than TENS in previous studies and is likely to be better accepted and tolerated by patients, clinical investigation is warranted.