New research from South Korea shows that SCENAR is far more superior for treatment of chronic neck pain than TENS devices.

The research abstract was presented at the European Pain Federation EPIC  in Vienna, Austria this October.

TENS (TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL NERVE STIMULATION) ON THE PAIN RELIEF IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NECK PAIN

Y. EUN1, W. Choi2
1family medicine, St. Vincent’s hospital Catholic University of Korea, Suwon, Korea
2family medicine, St. Mary’s hospital Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

Background and aims: Chronic neck pain is a common condition entailing the high cost of pharmacological treatment, but it has limited evidence of efficacy and side-effects. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a new therapy, SCENAR therapy, on pain and disability in patients with chronic neck pain through comparison with Transcuteneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy.

Methods: We studied 30 elderly patients with chronic neck pain of more than 3 months duration. The subjects were randomized into two groups receiving (1)SCENAR therapy or (2)TENS therapy (control); three times a week for two weeks. The patients were assessed before and after 2-week treatment using three measuring tools such as Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Neck Disability Index (NDI), and Range of Motion (ROM).

Results: The SCENAR group showed significantly improved results in NRS, NDI, and ROM after intervention, as did the TENS group.(p<0.05) The comparison of mean changes in the SCENAR group(12.36) before and after intervention showed superior results in the NDI when compared with the TENS group(3.950).

Conclusion: The findings show that both SCENAR and TENS are effective treatment for patients with chronic neck pain. Patients who underwent SCENAR had a significant improvement in Neck Disability Index (NDI) than the TENS group.