Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31341826›Full record

ArticleAnesthesiology and pain medicine2019

Comparative Study of Pain Relief in Two Non-Pharmacological Treatments in Patients with Partial Rotator Cuff Tears: A Randomized Trial.

Sotiria Vrouva, Chrysanthi Batistaki, Efterpi Paraskevaidou, Konstantinos Chanopoulos, Dimitrios Kostopoulos, Efthimios Stamoulis, Georgia Kostopanagiotou

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In one paragraph

Article in Anesthesiology and pain medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Observational
  5. Review
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  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Sotiria VrouvaSecond Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Chrysanthi BatistakiSecond Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Efterpi ParaskevaidouDepartment of Physical Therapy, 401 Army General Hospital of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Konstantinos ChanopoulosComputational of Mathematics and Decision Making, 401 Army General Hospital of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Dimitrios KostopoulosFirst Department of Orthopedics, 401 Army General Hospital of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Efthimios StamoulisDepartment of Radiology, 401 Army General Hospital of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Georgia KostopanagiotouSecond Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece.
401 General Military Hospital of Athens · GRNational and Kapodistrian University of Athens · GR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPain induction is the primary characteristic of a rotator cuff tear while muscle weakness appears as a secondary feature, leading to further disability.

objectivesThe study aimed to determine the effectiveness of physiotherapeutic interventions through transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) or microcurrent electrical nerve stimulation (MENS) in conjunction with kinesiotherapy in patients with partial thickness rotator cuff tear.

methodsThis was a blinded randomized prospective study. The study recruited 42 outpatients with partial rotator cuff tear under conservative treatment selected from the 401 General Military Hospital of Athens and the University General Hospital 'Attikon' during 2015 - 2017. Patients were assessed for pain and disability using the SPADI (shoulder pain and disability index), a numerical rating scale (NRS) for pain, and the EuroQoL-5 questionnaire for the evaluation of the quality of life. The first group received TENS and kinesiotherapy while the second group received MENS and kinesiotherapy. Three measurements were recorded. The first assessment was performed during the initial patient visit; the second after completion of the physiotherapeutic sessions, and the third one three months after the initial assessment. A follow-up ultrasound scan was performed three months after the completion of the therapeutic sessions to assess the anatomical healing of the rotator cuff tear.

resultsRepeated measurements analysis indicated a significant improvement in pain scores, functionality, and patients' quality of life (P value < 0.001). Comparison of the two treatment methods did not reveal any significant differences (P value > 0.05) despite the fact that the MENS was associated with a greater improvement in pain intensity and TENS with a greater improvement in functionality and quality of life.

conclusionsUsing MENS and TENS appears to be equally effective in terms of pain relief, functional improvement, and quality of life enhancement in patients.

Indexed as

DisabilityMENSNon-pharmacological TreatmentPainRotator Cuff TearTENS

Identifiers

PMID31341826
PMCPMC6614784
OpenAlexW2936116773

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.