Use of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in the complex treatment of glossalgia

Abstract

Thirty-four patients with glossalgia were studied. The painful part of tongue was electrically stimulated using an 'Elektronika-2M' apparatus with a current of 45 microA for 10-20 min (current strength was patient-controlled to produce the sensation of local prickling): courses consisted of 10-12 treatments. The results of electrical stimulation therapy were compared with results obtained using standard methods of treatment (novocaine blockade, analgesics, etc.), which were used in a control group of 30 patients. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation was highly effective: improvements were noted after the first session, and significant reductions in pain syndrome occurred after 1-3 sessions; therapeutic effects were obtained at the end of treatment in all 34 patients, i.e., in 100% of cases, as compared with 70% in the control group, with remission lasting more than one year in 20 patients and from 3-12 months in 14.