Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy on shoulder pain and upper extremity functions in hemiplegic patients.
Material-methods: Total of 19 hemiplegic patients with shoulder pain were as consecutive randomly assigned into two groups. TENS was applied in group 1 (n = 10) for 20 minutes and group 2 (n = 9) received placebo stimulation. Conventional rehabilitation program were applied total 15 sessions during a period of 3 week in both groups.The visual analog scale (VAS) to evaluate shoulder pain, Barthel Index (BI) for daily-life activities (DLA) were used. The shoulder passive range of motions (PROMs) and Brunnstrom stage of motor recovery were measured.
Results: Clinical parameters were similar at baseline. In both groups, significant improvements were observed in VAS and BI (group 1: p<0.001; group 2: p<0.05). In VAS (p<0.001), and BI (p<0.05) were showed significant improvements in favor of group 1, when compared with the groups. In PROMs of abduction and external rotation of shoulder significant improvements were observed in only group 1 (p<0.001, p<0.001 respectively). There was not any significant improvement on Brunnstrom stage of motor recovery in both groups (p>0.05).
Conclusion: In conclusion that TENS therapy together with conventional rehabilitation could be used as a good alternative therapy in patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain.