The Information Resource Center aims to be a reliable source of research and educational materials for practitioners and patients on topics related to our clinical work and the types of injuries and conditions we treat.  Linked articles and abstracts will require you to have Adobe Acrobat Reader.

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Regenerative Electro Medicine

Clinical Proof of Concept Outcomes and References

Preclinical Proof of Concept Outcomes and References

Physiological Basis of Microcurrent Therapy, Peter Lathrop, Ph.D

Microcurrent stimulation produces electrochemical changes in the body that set the stage for healing.

Physiological Basis of Microcurrent Therapy in Soft Tissue Injuries, by Peter Lathrop, Ph.D

Microcurrent initiates the healing process by replenishing ATP, increasing the membrane transport of ions, and facilitating protein synthesis.  With recharged cellular batteries, the body can take over and perform the healing of which it is capable.

New technology speeds healing while cutting costs.  Lathrop, Peter H.  Workers Comp Advisor. February 1990.

Study conclusions: The microcurrent patients required fewer visits to resolve the injury.  Results of this study demonstrate that the use of microcurrent therapy can significantly reduce treatment and worker down time.

Microcurrent therapy: a novel treatment method for chronic low back myofascial pain.  Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. Volume 8, Issue 2, April 2004. pages 143-153.

Conclusions: Following treatment with frequency-specific microcurrent, a statistically signficant 3.8 fold reduction in pain intensity was observed using a visual analog scale.  This outcome was achieved over an average treatment period of 5.6 weeks and a visit frequency of one treatment per week.  When pain chronicity exceeded 5 years, there was a trend toward increasing frequency of treatment required to achieve the same magnitude of pain relief.

Is Microcurrent Stimulation Effective in Pain Management?  An Additional Perspective.  AJPM 2001, 11:64-68.

Conclusions:  With these self reports of pain patients, the investigator determined that 93.02% claimed significant pain reduction, ranging from a low of 81.82% in chronic regional pain syndrome patients to a high of 98.31% and 100% in those suffering from migraine headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome, respectively.

Cytokine changes with microcurrent treatment of fibromyalgia associated with cervical spine trauma.  McMakin C., Gregory W., Phillips T.  Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. (2005) 9, 169-176.

Conclusion:  In a retrospective study based on analysis of subjective VAS pain scores for 54 patients, symptoms of fibromyalgia following cervical spine trauma were successfully treated with microamperage current.  In a subgroup of the same patients, subjective pain improvement scores were accompanied by substantial reduction in serum levels of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-x, and the neuropeptide substance P.  Betaendorphin release and increases in serum cortisol were also observed in these patients during the same treatment period.  The subjective outcome scores in conjunction with biological markers for pain and pro-inflammatory cytokines observed in response to this treatment protocol are important preliminary findings.  Based on the observations reported in this analysis, controlled prospective clinical studies to evaluate the clinical efficacy of microcurrent treatment of FMS associated with cervical spine trauma are warranted.       

The effects of home interferential therapy on post-operative pain, edema, and range of motion of the knee.  Clin J Sport Med.  2003. Jan; 13 (1): 16-20.

Conclusions:  These findings indicate that home interferential current therapies (IFC) may help reduce pain, pain medication taken, and swelling while increasing the range of motion in patients undergoing knee surgery.  This could result in quicker return to activities of daily living and athletic activities.