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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2019 Feb 4:2019:2823401.
doi: 10.1155/2019/2823401. eCollection 2019.

Two Transcutaneous Stimulation Techniques in Shoulder Pain: Transcutaneous Pulsed Radiofrequency (TPRF) versus Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS): A Comparative Pilot Study

Mu-Lien Lin  1   2 , Hung-Wei Chiu  3 , Zao-Ming Shih  4   5 , Po-Ying Lee  6 , Pei-Zhi Li  6 , Chin-Hong Guo  6 , Yuan-Jie Luo  6 , Shen-Chieh Lin  7 , Kwan-Yu Lin  2 , Yu-Ming Hsu  6 , Angela Pang  8 , Weiwu Pang  9
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Two Transcutaneous Stimulation Techniques in Shoulder Pain: Transcutaneous Pulsed Radiofrequency (TPRF) versus Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS): A Comparative Pilot Study

Mu-Lien Lin et al. Pain Res Manag. .

Abstract

Objective: To compare the safety and efficacy of 2 transcutaneous stimulation techniques, transcutaneous pulsed radiofrequency (TPRF) versus transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), in chronic shoulder tendonitis.

Design: A prospective, randomized, and double-blind clinical trial.

Setting: Academic pain service of a city hospital.

Subjects: Fifty patients with sonography-confirmed shoulder tendonitis.

Methods: Fifty patients were randomly allocated into two groups for electrical stimulation treatment with 3-month follow-ups: Group 1 (n=25), TENS and Group 2 (n=25), TPRF. Both groups underwent either treatment for 15 minutes every other day, three times total. Our primary goals were to find any treatment comfort level, adverse event, and changes in Constant-Murley shoulder (CMS) scores. The secondary goals were finding the changes in pain, enjoyment of life, and general activity (PEG) scores.

Results: For primary goals, no adverse events were noted throughout this study. No differences were found between groups for treatment tolerability (3.20 + 0.87 vs. 2.16 + 0.75). Statistically significant lower PEG scores were noticeable with the TPRF group after the course (12.73 + 5.79 vs. 24.53 + 10.21, p=0.013). Their statistical significance lasted for 3 months although the difference gap diminished after 1 month. CMS scores were significantly higher in the TPRF group (70.84 + 6.74 vs. 59.56 + 9.49, p=0.007) right after treatment course but the significance did not last.

Conclusions: In treating chronic shoulder tendinitis using two transcutaneous stimulation techniques, both TPRF and TENS are safe and effective. TPRF is superior to TENS.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram showing the sequence of randomization, blinding, treatments, data collection, and analysis. TENS = transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation; TPRF = transcutaneous pulse radiofrequency; CMS = Constant–Murley Shoulder score; PEG = pain, P (scored by visual analog score “VAS,” scored from 0 to 100), enjoyment of life, E (scored from 0 to 100), and general activity, G (scored from 0 to 100).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Electrical pad placement: one electrical pad (9 cm × 5 cm) attached at the maximally tender area. The other pad was attached at the inferior margin of the deltoid muscle on the same shoulder.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean CMS scores between the TPRF and the TENS group. ∗∗∗p ≤ 0.001.
Figure 4
Figure 4
PEG score with TPRF and TENS group. ∗p < 0.05, ∗∗p < 0.01, and ∗∗∗p ≤ 0.001. A lower PEG is better.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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