Search

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of conventional TENS in women affected by chronic facial myalgia., Materials and Methods: The study was performed on 49 women affected by chronic facial myalgia randomly allocated in the TENS group (34 women) and the control group (15 women). The subjective level of pain was assessed by the Visual Analogue Scale indicating the mean (VAS MEAN), the maximum (VAS MAX) and the current intensity of pain (VAS NOW). The level of pain at the muscular palpation sites was assessed by the Pericranial Muscle Tenderness Score (PTS) and the Cervical Muscle Tenderness Score (CTS). The TENS therapy lasted for 10 weeks, and data were collected at baseline, after 5, 10, 15 and 25 weeks. The differences between groups before and after treatment were compared with the Mann-Whitney and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. The intra-group differences were compared with the one-way ANOVA test., Results: The results showed that the VAS MEAN, VAS MAX, PTS and CTS were significantly reduced in the TENS group compared to the control group after 10 weeks of TENS (p < 0.05). The intra-group analysis revealed a decreasing tendency of VAS MEAN, VAS MAX, VAS NOW, PTS and CTS in the TENS group in a 25-week period (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: The study demonstrated the efficacy of conventional TENS in patients with chronic facial myalgia and the decrease in both subjective and objective pain., Clinical Relevance: Conventional TENS is a safe, non-invasive, easy-to-administer therapy for chronic facial myalgia.

One hundred and eighteen clinical records of soldiers attending the Psychological Unit of the Ospedale Militare "A. Riberi" in Turin were included in the study. Records assessed according to the "Somatization Index" and the scores obtained were analysed using statistical methods (t test) according to the following parameters: geographical origin of the family (North/South); place of residence (southern Italians resident in the South/southern Italians resident in the North, and rural/urban environment); educational level (5th class in primary school/upper secondary school). A substantial overlapping was observed between the groups studied. Various hypotheses can be put forward: 1) the index is not capable of distinguishing between expressiveness in psychic terms and expressiveness in somatic terms in relation to the patient's psychosocial malaise; 2) the results of the index are valid and may be interpreted in the following ways: a) the Italian population is homogeneous with regard to the modes of expressing and communicating psychosocial malaise; b) the results obtained are influenced by the excessive homogeneity of the sample studied in terms of age; c) the results obtained are biased by the strong reactive nature of the soldier's psychological problems with respect to Military Service: the reaction has characteristics of immediacy and should therefore be interpreted as a maladjustment which is experienced and expressed in a psychic context; d) the results are influenced by the name of the place of study ("psychological unit") and by the "civil" appearance of its workers.