EFFECT OF INTERFERENTIAL CURRENT STIMULATION IN MANAGEMENT OF HEMIPLEGIC SHOULDER PAIN

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.