Evaluation of the pain suppressive effect of different frequencies of peripheral electrical stimulation in chronic pain conditions

Abstract

The pain suppressive effect of low (2/s) and high (50-100/s) frequency electrical stimulation was studied in 12 patients with severe chronic pain in the back and/or the legs. All patients were subjected to a thorough physical examination before and 2-3 weeks after a series of stimulation sessions. The stimulation was applied via surface electrodes to areas both segmentally related and segmentally unrelated to the regions of chronic pain. Low frequency stimulation induced a partial pain relief in only one patient whereas stimulation with high frequency gave a suppression of pain in seven patients. The effect was short-lasting in most cases and the pain started to increase usually within 30 min. It is concluded that the observed pain suppression is not due to psychological factors but to more basic neurophysiological mechanisms. Augmentation of the effect after repeated stimulation sessions was not observed, neither was there any alteration in the neuro-orthopedic status nor any lasting pain relief in any patient.