COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF CYCLE TIME PROTOCOLS OF AUSSIE CURRENT NEUROMUSCULAR ELECTROSTIMULATION ON MULTIFIDUS MUSCLE ACTIVITY IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL

Introduction: Neuromuscular electrostimulation (NMES) represents a therapeutic approach for addressing chronic low back pain (CLBP); however, the influence of NMES dose on muscle activity remains subject to debate. Objective : To compare the impact of two distinct NMES protocols employing Aussie current, characterized by varying dosages emphasizing time cycle alterations, on electromyographic activity within the multifidus muscles in individuals afflicted with CLBP. Methods : A randomized clinical trial encompassed 18 volunteers diagnosed with mechanical CLBP. These volunteers were randomly assigned to two NMES intervention groups with dissimilar dosages: 15 repetitions ([Formula: see text]) and 30 repetitions ([Formula: see text]). In both interventions, the current amplitude was tailored to individual perception and documented at the culmination of each session. Over the course of four weeks, two sessions took place per week. Electromyographic activity of the multifidus muscles was evaluated using surface electromyography before and after the intervention. The assessment focuses on both time-domain analysis using Root Mean Square (RMS) and frequency-domain analysis involving mean activation frequency (FREQ). Results : There are no interactions between the time and intervention, but there is the time effect on RMS, indicating that post-intervention muscle activity exceeded pre-intervention values in both groups. FREQ values did not exhibit statistically significant discrepancies. Conclusions : This study showed that NMES using the Aussie current is effective in increasing muscle activity in individuals with CLBP, and the results were not influenced by the different cycle times with equal volumes.