Is Microcurrent Stimulation Effective in Pain Management? An Additional Perspective
Smith RB. American Journal of Pain Management. 2001, 11(2): 64–68.
This is a peer-reviewed analysis of 2,500 consecutive survey forms from warranty cards completed by patients who were prescribed Alpha-Stim microcurrent electrical therapy (MET) and cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES). The only inclusion criteria were that the patients used their Alpha-Stim for at least 3 weeks. 1,949, or 78% of the total listed pain as their primary diagnosis. Of those, 93% claimed significant pain reduction of greater than 25% improvement, ranging from a low of 82% in chronic regional pain syndrome (RSD) to a high of 98% in those suffering from migraine headaches and 100% in carpal tunnel syndrome. 72% of the patients were female. The age ranged from 15 to 92 years with a mean of 50 years. The length of use ranged from the 3 week minimum cutoff period to 5 years in 2 cases. The average period of use was 14.68 weeks, or just over 3 1/2 months. The results reported by these patients were only 2% off a previous physician survey of 500 patients (the patients self-reports giving slightly higher ratings overall) reported in the book, The Science behind Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation by Dr. Daniel L. Kirsch.
| Condition | N | Slight <24% | Fair 25-49% | Moderate 50-74% | Marked 75-100% | Significant >25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain (all cases) | 1949 | 136 6.98% | 623 31.97% | 741 38.02% | 449 23.04% | 1813 93.02% |
| Back Pain | 403 | 20 4.96% | 109 27.05% | 157 38.96% | 117 29.03% | 383 95.04% |
| Cervical Pain | 265 | 18 6.79% | 69 26.04% | 125 47.17% | 53 20.00% | 247 93.21% |
| Hip/Leg/Foot Pain | 160 | 6 3.75% | 43 26.88% | 53 33.13% | 58 36.25% | 154 96.25% |
| Shoulder/Arm/Hand Pain | 150 | 13 8.67% | 41 27.33% | 63 42.00% | 33 22.00% | 137 91.33% |
| Carpal Tunnel | 25 | 0 0.00% | 5 20.00% | 17 68.00% | 3 12.00% | 25 100.00% |
| Arthritis Pain | 188 | 11 5.85% | 51 27.13% | 88 46.81% | 38 20.21% | 177 94.15% |
| TMJ Pain | 158 | 17 10.76% | 60 37.97% | 60 37.97% | 21 13.29% | 141 89.24% |
| Myofascial Pain | 62 | 6 9.68% | 18 29.03% | 18 29.03% | 20 32.26% | 56 90.32% |
| RSD | 55 | 10 18.18% | 16 29.09% | 19 34.55% | 10 18.18% | 45 81.82% |
| Fibromyalgia (alone) | 142 | 13 9.15% | 53 37.32% | 52 36.62% | 24 16.90% | 129 90.85% |
| Fibromyalgia (with other) | 363 | 33 9.09% | 131 36.09% | 152 41.87% | 47 12.95% | 330 90.91% |
| Migraine | 118 | 2 1.69% | 49 41.53% | 30 25.42% | 37 31.36% | 116 98.31% |
| Headaches (all other) | 112 | 20 17.86% | 30 26.79% | 24 21.43% | 38 33.93% | 92 82.14% |
| Psychological (all cases) | 723 | 61 8.44% | 175 24.20% | 237 32.78% | 250 34.58% | 662 91.56% |
| Anxiety (alone) | 128 | 13 10.16% | 29 22.66% | 42 32.81% | 44 34.38% | 115 89.84% |
| Anxiety (with other) | 370 | 33 8.92% | 85 22.97% | 122 32.97% | 130 35.14% | 337 91.08% |
| Anxiety/Depression | 58 | 3 5.17% | 19 32.76% | 19 32.76% | 17 29.31% | 55 94.83% |
| Depression (alone) | 53 | 7 13.21% | 11 20.75% | 23 43.40% | 12 22.64% | 46 86.79% |
| Depression (with other) | 265 | 29 10.94% | 61 23.02% | 93 35.09% | 82 30.94% | 236 89.06% |
| Stress | 123 | 6 4.88% | 30 24.39% | 39 31.71% | 48 39.02% | 117 95.12% |
| Chronic Fatigue | 50 | 3 6.00% | 30 60.00% | 10 20.00% | 7 14.00% | 47 94.00% |
| Insomnia | 163 | 10 6.13% | 47 28.83% | 47 28.83% | 59 36.20% | 153 93.87% |
Figure 1. Self-reported results of 2,500 patients who used Alpha-Stim technology for at least 3 weeks.