Clinical efficacy of self-developed transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulator in treating knee pain after military training
HE Xiaofei1, LIANG Zhikong1, CAO Mengyu2, ZHANG Weibing3
1. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, 3. Department of Ultrasound, Jiangsu Provincial Corps Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Force, Yangzhou 225003, China; 2. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Second Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100086, China
Abstract：Objective To explore the clinical effect of self-developed transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulator on knee pain after military training. Methods A total of 72 soldiers with knee joint pain and discomfort after training in a plain base of Chinese People's Armed Police Force from January 2024 to October 2024 were selected and randomly divided into a control group and an observation group with 36 cases in each group. The control group received musk pain relief plaster applied to the knee pain site every night before going to bed. The plaster was removed on the second morning after waking up, and was applied continuously for 5 days. On this basis, the observation group were treated with a self-developed transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation device, with selected acupoints such as Du Bi, Xue Hai, Liang Qiu, and Zu San Li. Each treatment lasted for 20 minutes, once a day, for a total of 5 days. Visual analog scale (VAS) score of knee pain and ability of daily life (ADL), and hospital for special surgery (HSS) knee joint scores of two groups before and after treatment were compared and analyzed. The occurrence of adverse events such as skin irritation, papules, burns, and worsening pain, as well as treatment tolerance and compliance were observed. Results There was no significant difference between the two groups before treatment. After 5 days of treatment, the VAS score of the knee joint of the observation group was (2.97±0.74), significantly lower than that of the control group (4.28±0.82), the ADL scores and the HSS scores of the observation group were higher than those of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). No adverse events occurred in both groups, and the observation group had good tolerance and compliance to transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation. Conclusions The self-developed transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulator has a fast and significant effect in the treatment of knee pain after military training, and is characterized by safety, non-invasiveness, easy operation and portability.
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2025, Vol. 36 
