Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, phonophoresis, and interferential current therapy on hemiplegic shoulder pain among Nigerian stroke survivors

Hemiplegic shoulder pain is a widespread and debilitating symptom experienced by stroke survivors, affecting their rehabilitation outcomes and quality of life. Addressing effective treatment options for this condition is essential to improve patient care. The purpose of this study was to determine how hemiplegic shoulder pain in stroke survivors was affected by phonophoresis, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and interferential current stimulation. This was a pre- and post-test experimental study conducted among 45 stroke survivors. Hemiplegic shoulder pain was assessed on the Numerical Pain Rating Scale and data were analysed using ANOVA. The results of the study reported a notable variation (F = 35.101, p < 0.05) across the physical modalities (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator, ultrasound device, and interferential current stimulator) in improving hemiplegic shoulder pain of the subjects. However, phonophoresis was found to have superior effect on hemiplegic shoulder pain of stroke survivors, with the post-hoc analysis revealing that phonophoresis is the most promising protocol for treating hemiplegic shoulder pain of stroke survivors. The findings of this study suggest that training clinicians in the proper application of ultrasound devices for phonophoresis can significantly enhance treatment outcomes for hemiplegic shoulder pain in stroke survivors