Motor Control Training Compared to Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Patients with Disc Herniation with Associated Radiculopathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective To compare the effectiveness of motor control training(MCT)and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in relieving pain, reducing functional disability, and improving transversus abdominis (TrA) activation in patients with lumbar disc herniation(LDH) with associated radiculopathy. Design Randomized controlled trial. Methods Forty patients diagnosed with LDH were randomly divided into two groups: motor control training group (MCTG; n=20) and TENS group(TG; n=20). Interventions The MCTG and TG attended 60-minsessions twice a week for 8 weeks, totaling to 16 sessions. Main outcome measures Pain, functional disability, and TrA activation capacity. Results Differences between both groups were observed after 8 weeks, favoring the MCTG. MCT was more effective than TENS in relieving pain (mean difference=3.3 points, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.12–4.48), reducing functional disability (mean difference=8.4 points, 95% CI 5.44–11.36), improving the quality of pain (mean difference=17 points, 95% CI 7.93–26.07), sensory quality of pain (mean difference=10.3 points, 95% CI5.55–15.05), and TrA activation (mean difference=1.5 points, 95% CI0.90–2.10). Conclusions The results suggest that MCT is more effective than TENS with respect to relieving pain, reducing functional disability, and improving TrA activation in patients with LDH. Registration number NCT01640431 clinicaltrials.gov Corresponding Author: Bianca Callegari – Laboratory of Human Motricity Studies, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém (PA), Brazil. Phone: (+55 91) 982210054 E-mail: callegaribi@uol.com.br FUNDING This study received public financial support from the: State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), and there is not conflict of interest in the work. Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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