Use of electrical stimulation therapy to reduce pain associated with hard-to-heal wounds and reduce reliance on pharmacological analgesics: a case series.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of microcurrent electrical stimulation therapy (EST) on pain from hard-to-heal wounds and quantity/type of analgesic needed in its management.

METHOD: Patients with painful, stalled leg ulcers were treated with microcurrent EST. Pain scores (0-10 on a numerical rating scale (NRS)) and analgesic consumption were recorded daily for a seven-day run-in period and during treatment with EST for 24 days. Patients were followed up for six months.

RESULTS

There were 20 patients in the experimental cohort. The median wound duration was nine months (range: 1.5-60 months); wounds included venous (14/20), arterial (5/20) and mixed aetiology (1/20) ulcers. Mean wound pain reduced significantly, from a value of 5.7 at baseline to 3.7 after 24 days of treatment (n=20; p<0.0001). Median time to achieve no/mild pain (NRS 0-4) was five weeks after the start of treatment. The median number of analgesics being taken for wound pain reduced between baseline and end of treatment from 2 to 1 (range: 0-4 at both timepoints). Mean daily dose reductions were observed for gabapentin, ibuprofen and paracetamol. Among patients taking analgesics for wound pain at baseline, 3/19 were able to discontinue all analgesia. After initiation of EST, the mean wound size reduction was 41% over four weeks, (10.2% reduction per week). The median time to healing was 18 weeks.

CONCLUSION

In this clinical evaluation, patients treated with microcurrent EST reported reduction in pain and reduced analgesic consumption.