Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in acute hand infections.
Twenty-six patients with severe hand infections requiring operative drainage and admission to hospital were entered into a prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. This was to test the use of a functioning transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator and a non-functioning transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator for pain relief in the first three postoperative days. Those patients with a functioning transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator required significantly less analgesia. They also demonstrated highly significant improvement in their range of total active movement over those patients with a non-functioning transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator. We recommend the use of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator after operation to reduce pain and improve mobility.
Quinton
D N
DN
Sloan
J P
JP
Theakstone
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000601:surgery*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D011897:Random Allocation; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation