The analgesic effect of interferential therapy on clinical and experimentally induced pain

Abstract

Background: Interferential therapy (IFT) is one of the most popular modalities used by physiotherapists for the management and control of pain. Despite its widespread use, there remains debate surrounding its effectiveness.Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the published literature on the effectiveness of IFT in reducing pain. Method: A literature search of Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), and Physiotherapy Evidence Based (PEDro) was performed. This review adhered only to randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated IFT in the presence of a control group. PEDro scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Results: Nine RCTs met the inclusion criteria of this review. One study evaluated the effect of IFT on clinical pain while remaining studies examined induced pain including thermal (cold and hot), ischemic, mechanical, and delayed onset of muscle soreness. No clear conclusion was withdrawn regarding the effectiveness of IFT on pain management due to the high variability in study design and deficiencies in methodological quality. The data were limited and contradicting and therefore, of equivocal support to the pain reduction effect of IFT. Conclusion: There is inadequate evidence to support the effectiveness of IFT in pain management. Clearly, there is a need for RCTs with high methodological quality to establish IFT efficacy.

A Comparative Study to Find the Effectiveness of Core Muscles Activation Over Conventional Exercises In Subjects with Mechanical Low Back Pain

“…4 Interferential therapy (IFT) has been reported to be one of the most common electrotherapeutic modalities used by physiotherapists worldwide. 5 The concept of IFT is based on crossing two medium frequency currents (with a carrier frequency between 2 and 10 KHz, most commonly 4 KHz) that reportedly generates a low-frequency 'beating'(amplitude-modulated) effect between 0 and 150 Hz in the deep tissues. 6,7 These beat frequencies are believed to decrease pain in the region of the application and assist with the reduction of oedema and improvement of joint range of motion (ROM) depending on the selected frequency.…”

Efficacy of interferential current on relieving pain of musculoskeletal origin – protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis undertaken

“…This review reported a limitation in the number of studies that incorporated IFC as a single treatment, while stating that IFC might be effective if used in addition to other treatment interventions. The second review investigated the analgesic effect of IFC on either the clinical or induced pain [26]. According to the authors of the second review, the evidence of IFC effectiveness in pain management isinadequate, and included only nine randomized trials, eight of which were conducted on artificially-induced pain.…”

“…Recently, there have been an increasing number of studies addressing IFC as an experimental or control treatment for painful musculoskeletal conditions [26,27]. The results of these studies might help to improve the quality of evidence, provide a better understanding of the role of IFC in relieving musculoskeletal pain, and identifying the best parameters that could achieve this effect [28].…”

Effects of Adding Interferential Therapy Electro-Massage to Usual Care after Surgery in Subacromial Pain Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial

“…Interferential therapy (IFT) is a highly popular treatment modality in the clinical setting, which involves crossing two medium frequency currents to generate a low-frequency beating effect in the deep tissues [22], and can be used alone or combined with massage [23]. Although IFT is purported to provide pain relief and increased blood flow to the tissues [24], there is still inadequate evidence to support its use as a sole intervention for pain management in musculoskeletal disorders in general [22], and in shoulder pain in particular [25,26]. Nevertheless, IFT as a supplement to other interventions has demonstrated advantages over placebo and control treatments for reducing musculoskeletal pain [27], although there are conflicting findings on this issue [28].…”