Is Microcurrent Stimulation Effective in Pain Management? An Additional Perspective

Smith, Ray B. Is Microcurrent Stimulation Effective in Pain Management? An Additional Perspective. American Journal of Pain Management, 11(2):62-66, 2001.Download Article

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.