Is Microcurrent Stimulation Effective in Pain Management? An Additional Perspective [Abstract]
Smith, Ray B. American
Journal of Pain Management, 11(2):62-66, 2001.
This is a peer-reviewed
analysis of 2,500 consecutive survey forms from warranty cards completed by
patients who were prescribed Alpha-Stim microcurrent electrical therapy (MET)
and cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES). The only inclusion criteria were
that the patients used their Alpha-Stim for at least 3 weeks.
1,949, or 78% of the total
listed pain as their primary diagnosis. Of those, 93% claimed significant pain reduction of greater than 25% improvement,
ranging from a low of 82% in chronic regional pain syndrome (RSD) to a high of
98% in those suffering from migraine headaches and 100% in carpal tunnel
syndrome. 72% of the patients were female. The age ranged from 15 to 92
years with a mean of 50 years. The length of use ranged from the 3 week minimum
cutoff period to 5 years in 2 cases. The average period of use was 14.68 weeks,
or just over 3 1/2 months.
The results reported by these
patients were only 2% off a previous physician survey of 500 patients (the
patients self-reports giving slightly higher ratings overall) reported in the
book, The Science behind Cranial
Electrotherapy Stimulation by Dr. Daniel L. Kirsch.
Condition
N
Slight
<24%
Fair
25-49%
Moderate
50-74%
Marked
75-100%
Significant
>25%
Pain (all cases)
1949
136
6.98%
623
31.97%
741
38.02%
449
23.04%
1813
93.02%
Back Pain
403
20
4.96%
109
27.05%
157
38.96%
117
29.03%
383
95.04%
Cervical Pain
265
18
6.79%
69
26.04%
125
47.17%
53
20.00%
247
93.21%
Hip/Leg/Foot Pain
160
6
3.75%
43
26.88%
53
33.13%
58
36.25%
154
96.25%
Shoulder/Arm/Hand Pain
150
13
8.67%
41
27.33%
63
42.00%
33
22.00%
137
91.33%
Carpal Tunnel
25
0
0.00%
5
20.00%
17
68.00%
3
12.00%
25
100.00%
Arthritis Pain
188
11
5.85%
51
27.13%
88
46.81%
38
20.21%
177
94.15%
TMJ Pain
158
17
10.76%
60
37.97%
60
37.97%
21
13.29%
141
89.24%
Myofascial Pain
62
6
9.68%
18
29.03%
18
29.03%
20
32.26%
56
90.32%
RSD
55
10
18.18%
16
29.09%
19
34.55%
10
18.18%
45
81.82%
Fibromyalgia (alone)
142
13
9.15%
53
37.32%
52
36.62%
24
16.90%
129
90.85%
Fibromyalgia (with
other)
363
33
9.09%
131
36.09%
152
41.87%
47
12.95%
330
90.91%
Migraine
118
2
1.69%
49
41.53%
30
25.42%
37
31.36%
116
98.31%
Headaches (all other)
112
20
17.86%
30
26.79%
24
21.43%
38
33.93%
92
82.14%
Psychological (all
cases)
723
61
8.44%
175
24.20%
237
32.78%
250
34.58%
662
91.56%
Anxiety (alone)
128
13
10.16%
29
22.66%
42
32.81%
44
34.38%
115
89.84%
Anxiety (with other)
370
33
8.92%
85
22.97%
122
32.97%
130
35.14%
337
91.08%
Anxiety/Depression
58
3
5.17%
19
32.76%
19
32.76%
17
29.31%
55
94.83%
Depression (alone)
53
7
13.21%
11
20.75%
23
43.40%
12
22.64%
46
86.79%
Depression (with
other)
265
29
10.94%
61
23.02%
93
35.09%
82
30.94%
236
89.06%
Stress
123
6
4.88%
30
24.39%
39
31.71%
48
39.02%
117
95.12%
Chronic Fatigue
50
3
6.00%
30
60.00%
10
20.00%
7
14.00%
47
94.00%
Insomnia
163
10
6.13%
47
28.83%
47
28.83%
59
36.20%
153
93.87%
Figure 1. Self-reported results of 2,500 patients who used
Alpha-Stim technology for at least 3 weeks.
For Practitioners 
Microcurrent Stimulation Effective in Pain Management