Articles: pain-management.
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Basic neurophysiological principles necessary for understanding the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation are presented. Peripheral and central neural mechanisms are reviewed, and the effects of individual pulse characteristics on neural excitability are analyzed. Representative commercial stimulators are compared, and wave-forms for different load conditions are illustrated. Discussion includes important considerations for clinical effectiveness and for patient acceptance and safety.
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From the data presented it appears that acupuncture helped in more than 50% of the patients by either completely or partially controlling pain from certain disorders. Patients helped by acupuncture received 8.55 treatments on the average, while patients not helped by acupuncture only received 4.75 treatments. There is difference between the male and female patients as to the response to acupuncture. ⋯ Patients with backache who had previously had laminectomy showed better response to acupuncture than patients who had had spinal fusion. It appears that good general health plays an important role in favorable response to acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture may be a valuable extension of a conventional pain clinic and an alternative in patients who are desperate to obtain relief from pain which they failed to obtain from other methods.