THU0709 Does the use of analgesic current therapies increase the effectiveness of neck stabilization exercises for improving pain, disability, mood, and quality of life in chronic neck pain? a randomized, controlled, single-blind study (a pilot study)

Background Analgesic therapies; such as interferential current (IFC) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) have been applied solo or combined with exercise for management of neck pain (NP), however, the efficacy of these combinations are unclear. Objectives To determine if TENS or IFC increase the effectiveness of neck stabilization exercises on pain, disability, mood, and quality of life for chronic NP. Methods 60 patients with chronic NP were included in the study. Patients were randomly assigned into 3 groups; Group I: neck stabilization exercise, Group II: TENS+ neck stabilization exercise and Group III: IFC+ neck stabilization exercise. Patients9 pain levels (visual analogue scale (VAS)), quality of life (short form- 36), mood (Beck depression inventory (BDI)), levels of disability (Neck Pain and Disability Index) and the need for analgesics were evaluated prior to treatment, at 6th and 12th week follow-up. All participants had group exercise accompanied by a physiotherapist for 3 weeks and an additional 3 weeks of home exercise program. Results All three groups had statistically significant improvement regarding their VAS, neck disability index and most sub-scores of short form-36 (p 0,05). On the other hand, analyses indicated significantly lower scores of neck disability index (p=0.004) and less need for paracetamol (p=0.036) in TENS group 6th-week follow-up when compared to exercise and IFC groups. Conclusions All treatment modalities improved pain, disability, mood and quality of life in patients with chronic NP. Besides, results suggest TENS enhanced the efficacy of exercise therapy on pain, disability and need for analgesics in acute phase but not in long term, since there was no difference at 12th week follow-up. To conclude, we think exercise protocols can be of choice since they are inexpensive, easy and effective in the management of chronic NP. References Acedo AA, Luduvice Antunes AC, Barros dos Santos A, Barbosa de Olveira C, Tavares dos Santos C, Colonezi GL, Fontana FA, Fukuda TY. Upper trapezius relaxation induced by TENS and interferential current in computer users with chronic nonspecific neck discomfort: An electromyographic analysis. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2015;28(1):19–24. Kroeling P, Gross A, Graham N, Burnie SJ, Szeto G, Goldsmith CH, Haines T, Forget M. Electrotherapy for neck pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Aug 26;(8):CD004251. Dusunceli Y, Ozturk C, Atamaz F, Hepguler S, Durmaz B. Efficacy of neck stabilization exercises for neck pain: a randomized controlled study. J Rehabil Med. 2009 Jul;41(8):626–31. Disclosure of Interest None declared