Novel Microcurrent Treatment is More Effective than Conventional Therapy for Chronic Achilles Tendinopathy

Chapman-Jones, David; Hill, David B.

doi:10.1016/s0031-9406(05)60849-8

Cited by 30 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Microcurrent is now being successfully applied to promote healing in a number of situations including soft tissue healing and the treatment of fracture nonunion, among others 7) . Microcurrent can be viewed as a form of electrotherapy, but it differs from general electric stimulation therapies such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, faradizations, or sonophoresis that employ mA amounts of electric current for the treatment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Microcurrent Electrical Stimulation on the Foot Blood Circulation and Pain of Diabetic Neuropathy

et al. 2011

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Abstract. [Purpose] This study was performed to investigate the effect of microcurrent electrical stimulation on the foot blood circulation and the degree of pain experienced by diabetes patients.[Subjects] Twenty nine patients with diabetic neuropathy over the age of 60 were randomly divided into an experimental(16 patients, 67.9 ± 8.0 years) and a control group(13 patients, 70.4 ± 4.4 years).[Methods] Both groups walked on a treadmill at a comfortable pace for 50 min/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks, and each participant's body weight, body composition, and blood lipid were examined at the baseline and 4 weeks later.[Results] The results show that the foot blood flow rate increment after the intervention was significantly different between the experimental group and the control group, and the VAS was also significantly different.[Conclusion] Based on the results of this study, we consider that microcurrent electric stimulation of the foot may be helpful for preventing the pain and diabetic ulcers by increasing the foot blood circulation in diabetes patients.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Microcurrent Electrical Stimulation on the Foot Blood Circulation and Pain of Diabetic Neuropathy

et al. 2011

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“…Microccurent therapy has been regarded as having a limited therapeutic value because the intensity of the current is significantly less than that of other forms of electrical stimulation such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation 2) . Becker 3) hypothesized that there was a measurable electrical microcurrent around normal healthy tissue, and that injury to the tissues would result in a disruption of this electrical field.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cheng 5) examined t h e p h y s i o l o g i c a l e f f e c t s o f v a r y i n g t h e microcurrent intensities on ATP production, protein synthesis and membrane transport. Other studies have reported the effects of microccurent therapy on nonunion of fractures 6) , chronic low back pain and m y o f a s c i a l p a i n 7 ) , a n d c h r o n i c A c h i l l e s tendinopathy 2) , among others. In addition, publications related to the effects of microcurrent on delayed onset muscle soreness 8) , tension of sympathetic nerves 9) , wound healing 10) , the recovery and re-growth of periodontal tissues 11) , beta-endorphin and cutaneous pain threshold 12,13) , and the inhibition of bacterial growth 14) have been reported in various Korean language journals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Microcurrent-Inducing Shoes on Fatigue and Pain in Middle-Aged People with Plantar Fascitis

et al. 2007

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Abstract. When a muscle is used repeatedly for a long time, it often leads to muscular fatigue and muscle soreness. In middle-aged and elderly populations, muscular fatigue and pain during the performance of activities of daily living is a common problem caused by physiological changes in the musculoskeletal system due to the aging process. Microcurrent therapy has been shown to be effective at reducing pain and muscle soreness. For activities such as standing or walking, specially developed shoes (G-man, Busan, South Korea) which are capable of providing microcurrent therapy during the performance of these activities are an advantage as the treatment becomes integrated with the activity being performed. These therapeutic shoes or microcurrent induction shoes could be potentially useful for providing treatment if they were worn during normal activities. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the effect of these microcurrent induction shoes on pain and muscle fatigue in middle-aged people with plantar fascitis. Subjects were asked to wear their normal shoes and instructed to walk on a treadmill at 2 and 3 km/hr for 10 minutes each. Subjects were then asked to wear the specially designed microcurrent induction shoes for six weeks for at least 4 hours per day during ADL activities such as standing and walking. During the initial evaluation and at the end of the 6 weeks intervention, the electromyographic (EMG) activity of their right tibialis anterior and soleus muscles were recorded, together with their perceived level of foot pain using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The results showed a significant reduction in their VAS scores (p<0.01), and the change in median power frequency of their tibialis anterior EMG recording (p<0.05). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that microcurrent induction shoes were effective in relieving foot pain and muscle fatigue in subjects with plantar fascitis.

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“…12,21 Despite the fact that the physiological effects of LVMAS have not been thoroughly investigated, reports on the therapeutic actions of LVMAS have suggested that this treatment modality is beneficial for soft tissue healing such as tendons and ligaments. 1,13,18,29,34,38 A few investigators have evaluated the efficacy of LVMAS in tendons and ligaments healing. 1,13,18,29,34,38 Some studies have demonstrated that LVMAS with implanted electrodes improves both biomechanical and histological properties of healing tendons in animals.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1,13,18,29,34,38 A few investigators have evaluated the efficacy of LVMAS in tendons and ligaments healing. 1,13,18,29,34,38 Some studies have demonstrated that LVMAS with implanted electrodes improves both biomechanical and histological properties of healing tendons in animals. 1,18,29,34,38 However, in a clinical environment, it is rare to perform LVMAS on injured tendons and ligaments with implanted electrodes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Low-Voltage Microamperage Stimulation on Tendon Healing in Rats

Chan

Fung²,

Ng³

2007

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther

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a chilles tendon ruptures are common in athletes and the middle-aged, and there have been increasing reports of Achilles tendon ruptures in recent decades. 25,28 Despite the intrinsic capacity of spontaneous recovery in injured tendons, 26,27 the process often takes a long time and the qualities of the repaired tendons are inferior to those of intact tendons. 16,20,19,31,32 To restore the optimal function of injured tendons it is important to develop therapeutic interventions that facilitate the process of healing. Low-voltage microamperage stimulation (LVMAS), characterized as an electrical stimulation with very low current, is advocated to promote tissue healing. It is theorized that healthy tissue is the result of the direct flow of electrical current throughout the body. 6,40,39 It is the opinion of Becker and Sheldon 7 that when the body is injured, the electrical balance is disrupted in that particular region, causing the electrical current to change course. The use of LVMAS over the injured site is thought to realign this t STuDy DeSign: Randomized controlled prospective experimental study. t ObjeCTiveS: To examine the effects of trans-cutaneous low-voltage microamperage stimulation (LVMAS) on the mechanical strength of Achilles tendon repair in rats at 4 weeks after injury. t baCKgrOunD: Understanding the effect of LVMAS on the healing of injured tendons is hampered by the lack of related experimental studies , especially from the aspect of biomechanical outcome measures. t MeTHODS anD MeaSureS: Fourteen 3-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats received surgical transection to the medial portion of their right Achilles tendon. The rats were divided into a LVMAS group (n = 7) and control group (n = 7). From day 6 postsurgery onwards, the LVMAS group received daily treatment of transcutaneous LVMAS (2.5 V, 100 μA/cm 2 , 10 pulses per second, positive current) for a total of 22 sessions, while the control group received placebo LVMAS by the same investigator during that period. On day 31, the Achilles tendons were harvested for biomechanical testing for load relaxation, stiffness, and ultimate tensile strength along the longitudinal direction. t reSulTS: The normalized Achilles tendon ultimate tensile strength of the LVMAS group (mean 6 SD, 110.5% 6 25.0%) was higher than that of the control group (75.3% 6 20.8%) (P = .014), but no significant difference was found in normalized stiffness and load relaxation between the 2 groups (P = .239 and .350, respectively). t COnCluSiOn: The results of this study suggest that the administration of transcutane-ous LVMAS could improve healing and consequently the tensile strength of partially transected Achilles tendons of rats at 4 weeks after injury.

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Novel Microcurrent Treatment is More Effective than Conventional Therapy for Chronic Achilles Tendinopathy

Cited by 30 publications

References 21 publications

The Effect of Microcurrent Electrical Stimulation on the Foot Blood Circulation and Pain of Diabetic Neuropathy

The Effect of Microcurrent Electrical Stimulation on the Foot Blood Circulation and Pain of Diabetic Neuropathy

The Effect of Microcurrent-Inducing Shoes on Fatigue and Pain in Middle-Aged People with Plantar Fascitis

Effects of Low-Voltage Microamperage Stimulation on Tendon Healing in Rats

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