EFFICACY OF ULTRASOUND-GUIDED INTRAMUSCULAR ELECTROSTIMULATION IN CONJUNCTION WITH MOTOR CONTROL EXERCISES IN NON-SPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL

Abstract

Introduction: chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) affects more than 80% of the Western population, being the main cause of work absenteeism as well as having great economic and social impact. The objective of the present study was to determine the efficacy of intramuscular electrostimulation (IMES) in conjunction with motor control exercises (MCE) with regard to pain, quality of life, kinesiophobia and disability in the short and medium term, as well as to evaluate which type of frequency of IMES is more effective. Material and method: a single-blind randomized pilot study was conducted. 21 participants between 18 and 65 years of age with CNLBP las-ting more than 3 months without irradiation to the lower limbs were randomly assigned into three groups: Control Group (CG) (n = 6), Low Frequency Experimental Group (LFEG) (n = 7) and High Frequency Experimental Group (HFEG) (n = 8) to receive 3 sessions of IMES and 10 face-to-face sessions of CME. Results: statistically significant differences were obtained in pain (p = 0.001) and quality of life both physically (p = 0.008) and emotionally (p = 0.042) for HFEG group as well as in quality of life (physical dimension) (p = 0.001) and Kinesio phobia (p = 0.018) for CG. Intergroup differences in quality of life were found in HFEG in comparison to CG (p = 0.024 and d = 1.81). Conclusion: HFEG (100 Hz) led to improvements in pain at medium term and in quality of life at short and medium term in subjects with CNLBP.