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Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on quadriceps function in individuals with experimental knee pain
Author(s) -
Son S. J.,
Kim H.,
Seeley M. K.,
Feland J. B.,
Hopkins J. T.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/sms.12539
Subject(s) - medicine , transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation , placebo , anesthesia , saline , visual analogue scale , stimulation , knee pain , crossover study , hypertonic saline , physical therapy , physical medicine and rehabilitation , post hoc analysis , osteoarthritis , alternative medicine , pathology
Knee joint pain ( KJP ) is a cardinal symptom in knee pathologies, and quadriceps inhibition is commonly observed among KJP patients. Previously, KJP independently reduced quadriceps strength and activation. However, it remains unknown how disinhibitory transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation ( TENS ) will affect inhibited quadriceps motor function. This study aimed at examining changes in quadriceps maximum voluntary contraction ( MVC ) and central activation ratio ( CAR ) before and after sensory TENS following experimental knee pain. Thirty healthy participants were assigned to either the TENS or placebo groups. All participants underwent three separate data collection sessions consisting of two saline infusions and one no infusion control in a crossover design. TENS or placebo treatment was administered to each group for 20 min. Quadriceps MVC and CAR were measured at baseline, infusion, treatment, and post‐treatment. Perceived knee pain intensity was measured on a 100‐mm visual analogue scale. Post‐hoc analysis revealed that hypertonic saline infusion significantly reduced the quadriceps MVC and CAR compared with control sessions ( P < 0.05). Sensory TENS , however, significantly restored inhibited quadriceps motor function compared with placebo treatment ( P < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between changes in MVC and knee pain ( r = 0.33, P < 0.001), and CAR and knee pain ( r = 0.62, P < 0.001), respectively.