Effectiveness of Interferential Current for the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain


Background: The problem of pain in the lumbar region is a big part of physiotherapy, which aims not only to relieve patients from pain but also to restore them to their previous levels of functionality. Various interventions are used for this physiotherapy treatment, one of them is electrotherapy. This review aims to investigate the effectiveness of interferential current (IFC) in pain management in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP).


Methods: A search was conducted in electronic databases Google Scholar, PubMed, PEDro, Science Direct, and Cochrane Library in Greek and English language, combining keywords of the central axes of the issue such as "chronic low back pain" or "CLBP", "pain relief", "electrotherapy", "interferential current " or "IFC". 


Results: Ten RCT studies, which examine the effectiveness of IFC were included in this review. A total of 807 patients were measured. Most studies (n=6) compared IFC with placebo and one of those combined placebo IFC with an exercise program. Three studies compared the different types of IFC and one study IFC with usual caressing.


Conclusion: The results of this review demonstrated that IFC showed a positive effect on reducing pain and improving the functioning of patients with CLBP. This approach presents to be a sufficient intervention method combined or not with other therapies. 
