Acute effects of medium-frequency electrical energy transfer (TECAR) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on pain and flexibility in athletes with an acute hamstring injury: A randomized controlled tria

Several human studies show positive signals, while research methods and sample sizes continue to develop.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

This study compared the acute effects of electrical energy transfer (TECAR) and transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS) on pain and flexibility after a hamstring injury. Young athletes received either a 20 ​min TECAR ( n = ​24) or TENS ( n ​= ​26) session within 5 days following a hamstring injury, while the control (CON, n ​= ​25) group was instructed to rest. Visual analogue scale (VAS), functional Assessment Scale for Acute Hamstring Injuries (FASH), straight leg raise test (SLR), and sit-and-reach scores (STR) were obtained prior to, immediately, 24, and 48 ​h after therapy. Group differences were detected after therapy in VAS and FASH scores ( p ​ p ​ p ​< ​0.05). The increase in SLR and STR was greater in the TECAR group (6.26%-13.96%) than in the TENS (1.72%-9.53%) and CON groups (0%-3.03%). These results suggest that in the acute phase of hamstring injury, the use of TECAR and, to a lesser extent, TENS may relieve pain symptoms and bring some improvements in flexibility more than instructing patients to rest.

Evidence level

Several human studies show positive signals, while research methods and sample sizes continue to develop.

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