Effect of Tecar Therapy on Pain and Functional Disability in Patients with Chronic Non-specific Low Back Pain

Abstract

Background and Objective: Chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) is among the main causes of disability and affects people of any age. One of the modalities that have been proposed for musculoskeletal disorders in recent years is Tecar therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Tecar therapy on the pain and disability of patients with CNLBP. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, 32 patients with CNLBP were randomly divided into two groups. The intervention group received 10 sessions of Tecar therapy, five times a week, along with routine physical therapy, while the placebo group received placebo Tecar therapy and routine physical therapy. The level of pain was assessed using the visual analog scale and disability using the Oswestry Disability Index. The variables were evaluated before the treatment, at the end of the 10th session, and also one month later. An analysis of variance test was used to analyze the data obtained. Results: Based on the paired t-test, the pain severity and functional disability scale showed a significant decrease in both groups after 10 intervention sessions and one-month follow-up (P<0.001 and P<0.001, respectively). The comparison between the two groups showed that after 10 sessions of Tecar therapy, the intensity of pain and functional disability in the Tecar therapy group decreased significantly compared to the placebo group (P<0.05); however, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant at the one-month follow-up (P<0.05). Conclusion: According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that Tecar therapy is an effective method to reduce pain and improve functional disability in patients with CNLBP in a short-term period.

Keywords

• functional disability
• low back pain
• tecar therapy