Detail information
ID ENCL000185
Year 1975
Disease Pain
Experimental Description The subjects were 53 patients referred to the study by physicians at 3 Montreal hospitals. The use of a control placebo stimulus (the 'Vanagas wave') as well as the existence of both negative and positive points in 15 patients (which represent a double-blind control condition) provide convincing evidence that the phenomenon is genuine.
Sample Count 53
Control
Std
Placebo
placebo stimulation(n=7); double-blind control condition(n=15)
Experiment transcutaneous electrical stimulation
Indicator McGill Pain Questionnaire(MPQ)
Stimulation Method EA
Induction Method
Electroacupuncture Instrument Model Manufacturer Frequency Waveform Strength Induction Time
Grass Model S8 - 60 Hz sine wave 35 V -

Acupuncture_Needle Needle_Manufacturer Needle_Depth
- - -

Description The electrodes were attached to a Grass Model S8 stimulator, or to a locally constructed stimulator which has a maximum output of 35 V and emits 60 Hz sine-wave trains at rates that can be varied by the experimenter.
Anesthesia Method
AA
Clinical Trial Type
Effector The average pain decrease during stimulation sessions was 75% for pain due to peripheral nerve injury, 66% for phantom limb pain, 62% for shoulder-arm pain, and 60% for low-back pain. The duration of relief frequently outlasted the period of stimulation by several hours, occasionally for days or weeks. Different patterns of the amount and duration of pain relief were observed. Daily stimulation carried out at home by the patient sometimes provided gradually increasing relief over periods of weeks or months. Control experiments, which included two forms of placebo stimulation, showed that brief, intense electrical stimulation is significantly more effective than placebo contributions. Possible neural mechanisms that underlie these patterns of pain relief by brief, intense stimulation are discussed.
Positive
Literature
PMID 141644
Title "Prolonged relief of pain by brief, intense transcutaneous somatic stimulation."
Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of brief, intense transcutaneous electrical stimulations at trigger points or acupuncture points on severe clinical pain. The McGill Pain Questionnaire was used to measure the change in pain quality and intensity produced by stimulation. The data indicate that the procedure provides a powerful method for the control of some forms of severe pathological pain. The average pain decrease during stimulation sessions was 75% for pain due to peripheral nerve injury, 66% for phantom limb pain, 62% for shoulder-arm pain, and 60% for low-back pain. The duration of relief frequently outlasted the period of stimulation by several hours, occasionally for days or weeks. Different patterns of the amount and duration of pain relief were observed. Daily stimulation carried out at home by the patient sometimes provided gradually increasing relief over periods of weeks or months. Control experiments, which included two forms of placebo stimulation, showed that brief, intense electrical stimulation is significantly more effective than placebo contributions. Possible neural mechanisms that underlie these patterns of pain relief by brief, intense stimulation are discussed."
Souce Pain. 1975 Dec;1(4):357-373. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(75)90073-1.