The Efficacy of Ultrasound-facilitated Electrical Stimulation as an Adjunct to Exercise in Treating Chronic Neck and Shoulder Pain

AbstractObjective: To evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasound [US]-facilitated electrical stimulation [US/ES] of thoracic spine area trigger points [TrPs] as an adjunct to exercise/electrical stimulation therapy alone in patients with chronic neck and shoulders pain.Methods: Subjects were randomly allocated into two treatment groups; one group to receive classic treatment [exercise plus ES] and the second group in which the classic treatment was supplemented with US/ES treatment of TrPs in the upper trunk area on the painful side. Participants were tested for pain intensity using a visual analog scale [VAS] for pain, Box plots [Box], Margolis' scoring system [size of pain area], and pain self-efficacy questionnaire [PSEQ].Results: Forty two male and female patients, aged 27 and 76 years, entered the study and 39 patients [34 women and five men; aged 51.8 ± 10 years] completed the study. The group that received the additional US/ES treatment exhibited greater improvements in pain intensity [Box, p = 0.05;...