Abstract:
The aim of this study was to investigate the immediate effect of Interferential current stimulation (IFC) on pain and pain-free passive range of motion (PROM) in people with hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP). Thirty participants were divided into two groups, IFC and placebo, by a match-paired method (age, gender, and Brunnstrom motor recovery stage). In the IFC group, participants received IFC for 20 minutes, 1 session with an amplitude-modulated frequency at 100 Hz in vector mode. The current intensity was increased until the participants felt a strong tingling sensation. Pain intensity and pain-free PROM of the shoulder at the onset of pain were measured at before and immediately after treatment. A two-way mixed analysis of variance was conducted to address the research question. A level of significance was set at p < 0.05. The results showed that participants reported a greater reduction in pain on the most painful movement following treatment in IFC group than placebo group (p < 0.05). Additionally, statistical analysis found that pain-free PROM in shoulder flexion, abduction, internal rotation, and external rotation were more improve at post-treatment in IFC group than placebo group (p < 0.01). The results of this study provide evidence that IFC is effective for pain relief on the most painful movement and also improve the pain-free PROM of the shoulder in people with HSP.
