Investigating the effect of Diadynamic current on prompt relief of pain in nonspecific low back pain in comparison with TENS

Our aim is to investigate the effect of applying one session of Diadynamic current on prompt relief of pain in low back region of patients suffering from non specific low back pain. This is a clinical randomized double blind trial. It is double blind because patients will not be aware of the allocation as well as the therapist who take measurements. Patients are recruited from Firouzgar Hospital. Subjects with low back pain of no specific origin or history of spine fracture and not having any systemic diseases will be referred to physiotherapy clinic of the hospital and will be consecutively randomized into Diadynamic or TENS (tanscutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) groups using sealed envelopes. In this, participating therapist is given randomly generated treatment allocations within sealed opaque envelopes. Once a patient consents to enter the trial, an envelope is opened and the patient is then offered the allocated treatment regimen. Primary outcome measures (VAS and PPT (pressure pain threshold) of the main location of pain) will be measured before applying the currents, just after the current is off the patient, 20 minutes after and 48 hours later. Patients are asked not to use anti pain medicine 24 hours before treatment session and until the last measurement (48 hours later). TENS and Diadynamic currents will be applied using Multistimulator ,model 733 X, NOVIN company, Iran, using two electrodes. Diadynamic group will receive 5 minutes LP followed by 5 minutes CP and the TENS group will receive 15 minutes conventional TENS (120 Hz). Thirty patients, 15 in each group is estimated as the proper sample size.

Vice chancellor for research ,Iran University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine