A Comparison with Laser Needle, Conventional TENS, and Acupuncture-like TENS upon Pain and Blood Flow in Healthy People

A Comparison with Laser Needle, Conventional TENS, and Acupuncture-like TENS upon Pain and Blood Flow in Healthy People

Objective: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a treatment method for pain, and it can be divided into conventional TENS (C-TENS) and acupuncture-like TENS (A-TENS). More recently, high power lasers have increasingly been used to reduce pain caused by arthritis, residual neuralgia, and musculoskeletal disorders. The aim of this study was to compare the laser needle with C-TENS and A-TENS in terms of pain and blood flow in healthy people, as well as to confirm that the laser needle can replace TENS to treat pain. Design: A randomized controlled trial. Methods: The selected participants were divided using Minimize computer software into a laser group (n＝13), a C-TENS group (n＝13), and an A-TENS group (n＝14); they underwent a pre-test for blood flow and pain in their forearm. The three groups received their respective interventions; they then underwent a second pain and blood flow test on the same spot. Results: No significant differences were observed in the A-TENS group between the pre- and post-tests, and a comparison among the three groups revealed no significant differences between the laser needle group and the C-TENS group in terms of pain. Regarding blood flow, no significant differences were found between the pre- and post-tests in the laser needle group; a comparison among the three groups only revealed a significant between the laser needle and A-TENS groups. Conclusions: This study confirmed that the laser needle can be used to treat pain when it is necessary to control blood flow.