Pain — Microcurrent Treatment for Chronic Debilitating Pain
Citation(s)
Chen JH, Humphreys K, Shah NH, Lembke A Distribution of Opioids by Different Types of Medicare Prescribers. JAMA Intern Med. 2016 Feb;176(2):259-61. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.6662.
Gabriel A, Sobota R, Gialich S, Maxwell GP The use of Targeted MicroCurrent Therapy in postoperative pain management. Plast Surg Nurs. 2013 Jan-Mar;33(1):6-8; quiz 9-10. doi: 10.1097/PSN.0b013e3182844219.
Iodice P, Lessiani G, Franzone G, Pezzulo G Efficacy of pulsed low-intensity electric neuromuscular stimulation in reducing pain and disability in patients with myofascial syndrome. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2016 Apr-Jun;30(2):615-20.
Jeffery DD, Babeu LA, Nelson LE, Kloc M, Klette K Prescription drug misuse among U.S. active duty military personnel: a secondary analysis of the 2008 DoD survey of health related behaviors. Mil Med. 2013 Feb;178(2):180-95.
Jeffery DD, May L, Luckey B, Balison BM, Klette KL Use and abuse of prescribed opioids, central nervous system depressants, and stimulants among U.S. active duty military personnel in FY 2010. Mil Med. 2014 Oct;179(10):1141-8. doi: 10.7205/MILMED-D-14-00002.
Koopman JS, Vrinten DH, van Wijck AJ Efficacy of microcurrent therapy in the treatment of chronic nonspecific back pain: a pilot study. Clin J Pain. 2009 Jul-Aug;25(6):495-9. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e31819a6f3e.
Levy B, Paulozzi L, Mack KA, Jones CM Trends in Opioid Analgesic-Prescribing Rates by Specialty, U.S., 2007-2012. Am J Prev Med. 2015 Sep;49(3):409-13. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2015.02.020. Epub 2015 Apr 18.
Pilla A, Fitzsimmons R, Muehsam D, Wu J, Rohde C, Casper D Electromagnetic fields as first messenger in biological signaling: Application to calmodulin-dependent signaling in tissue repair. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2011 Dec;1810(12):1236-45. doi: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2011.10.001. Epub 2011 Oct 8.
Rajpurohit B, Khatri SM, Metgud D, Bagewadi A Effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and microcurrent electrical nerve stimulation in bruxism associated with masticatory muscle pain--a comparative study. Indian J Dent Res. 2010 Jan-Mar;21(1):104-6. doi: 10.4103/0970-9290.62816.
Rohde C, Chiang A, Adipoju O, Casper D, Pilla AA Effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on interleukin-1 beta and postoperative pain: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study in breast reduction patients. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2010 Jun;125(6):1620-1629. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181c9f6d3.
Strauch B, Herman C, Dabb R, Ignarro LJ, Pilla AA Evidence-based use of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy in clinical plastic surgery. Aesthet Surg J. 2009 Mar-Apr;29(2):135-43. doi: 10.1016/j.asj.2009.02.001. Review.
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
