Management of acute traumatic pain by peripheral transcutaneous electrical stimulation
Myers, R.A.; Woolf, C.J.; Mitchell, D.
South African Medical Journal 52(8): 309-312
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0256-9574 PMID: 302494 Document Number: 117065
Peripheral transcutaneous electrical stimulation has been used in an attempt to relieve the pain associated with fractured ribs. Sixty-two per cent of the patients considered their pain to be greatly relieved by this electro-analgesic technique and a further 28% gained some relief. Pain was assessed by means of a visual analogue scale. In most of the patients there was a clinical improvement in their condition, the degree of which correlated well with the pain relief. This trial indicated that transcutaneous electro-analgesia is a useful technique for producing analgesia in patients suffering from acute trauma, without some of the side-effects inherent in more conventional forms of therapy.