Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and diadynamic current therapy in the management of acute low back pain

. Although transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and diadynamic currents are widely used in the treatment of painful conditions, their effectiveness in acute low back pain is still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and diadynamic current therapy in patients with acute low back pain. The study was designed as a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Material and Methods. A total of 60 patients with acute low back pain, recruited from physiotherapy referrals, were included in the study. Thirty consecutive patients randomized to receive transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation were in the experimental group, and 30 patients treated with diadynamic current were included in the control group. The primary outcome variable, measured at days 1 and 10 was pain intensity, measured using a visual analogue scale. Secondary outcome measures were lumbosacral spine flexibility (measured by Schober test), lumbar paraspinal muscle tone evaluated by palpation of the affected paraspinal muscles, and hip range of motion during the straight leg raise test in the supine position. Results. All the parameters in each group showed significant improvements after 10 days of physical therapy (p < 0.01). Statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences between the groups in pain relief and sensitivity of paraspinal muscles after the treatment, mostly due to the experimental group (p < 0.01). Conclusion. In conclusion, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and diadynamic current therapy can be used in rehabilitation of patients with acute low back pain, but transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation seems to have better pain modulation effect than diadynamic current therapy.