Interferential Therapy Review Part 2: Experimental Pain Models and Neurophysiological Effects of Electrical Stimulation

Abstract

Despite interferential therapy's (IFT) popularity among clinicians, this review indicates that there is an obvious limitation in the amount of published studies that examine the effects of IFT, specifically the possible mechanism(s) of action for the posited hypoalgesic effect. The first section of this review examines the literature regarding the evaluation of IFT using established laboratory models of pain, such as the nociceptive RIII flexion reflex, delayed onset muscle soreness and mechanical pain threshold. The second section reviews the literature concerning the evaluation of IFT neurophysiological effects in both animals and humans, i.e. nerve conduction, somatosensory evoked potentials, blood flow etc.