The control of chronic pain using Microcurrent Electrical Therapy and Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation

Tae-Kyu Lee, Kwan-Sung Lee, Shin-Soo Jeun, Young-Kil Hong, Chun-Kun Park, Joon-Ki, Moon-Chan Kim. The control of chronic pain using Microcurrent Electrical Therapy and Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation.  From the Department of Neurosurgery, Kangnam St. Mary’s Hospital, College Of Medicine, and The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. Presented at the Korea Society for Stereotactic & Functional Neurosurgery, April 14, 2004.

The purpose of the study was to assess the effectiveness of microcurrent electrical therapy (MET) and CES in pain management (2 applications of Alpha-Stim technology). 20 refractive chronic pain patients in a Korean hospital were studied. Ages ranged from 18 to 75 years (mean = 44 years). 15 were females. Treatments were scheduled for 1 hour per day, 5 days a week, for 3 weeks. The current used ranged from 100 to 300 µA, and often varied from day to day. Both CES and MET treatments were given with the Alpha-Stim 100 device. Although 3 patients out of 20 obtained no relief from this treatment, 6 obtained complete relief, and an additional 8 patients received significant relief of 33% – 94%. When treatment response by the length of time they had the pain was evaluated it was found that patients who had been in pain for 2 months and 4 months improved 94% and 100%. Patients had been asked to note any negative side effect of CES and MET during the treatment. The researchers concluded that the combination of CES and MET is an effective treatment for patients with chronic pain and is good for long-standing chronic pain as well as for pain of shorter duration.