Comparison of the effectiveness of PEMF and TECAR therapy in the treatment of acute low back pain

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent musculoskeletal condition.Novel physical therapies such as Transferencia Electrica Capacitiva Resistiva (TECAR) and Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) have gained attention for their pain-relieving properties. Aims:To compare the efficacy of TECAR and PEMF therapies in reducing acute low back pain and functional disability.Materials and Methods: Sixty-five patients (mean age 33.6 7.91 years) with acute low back pain were divided into two groups: Group 1 (n = 32) received PEMF treatments, and Group 2 (n = 33) received TECAR treatments.Pain was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and disability was measured using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI).Results: Both therapies significantly decreased pain scores (p = 0.0001) and improved ODI scores (p = 0.0001).There were no significant differences between groups in either outcome.However, a negative correlation was noted between patient age and reduction in pain level (PEMF r = -0.579,p = 0.001; TECAR r = -0.758,p < 0.000), indicating that older patients experienced a somewhat smaller reduction in pain intensity.Conclusions: PEMF and TECAR therapies produced comparable benefits in reducing pain and disability in acute low back pain.Age may attenuate the pain-relieving effect of these therapies.