Treatment of chronic low back pain by electric hyperstimulation analgesia of myofascial trigger points: a retrospective multicenter study

Background Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) are associated with chronic nonspecific low back pain (CLBP) in patients presenting musculoskeletal pain. This study evaluated an innovative automated robotic system (Soleve™) that scans patients’ backs to detect MTrPs, by analyzing skin impedance, followed by Electric Hyperstimulation Analgesia (EHA) therapy. The hypothesis is that EHA provides an analgesic effect by altering the biochemical environment of MTrPs, resulting in autonomic reactions that lead to variations in skin resistance. Methods This retrospective multicenter study included 168 consecutive CLBP outpatients (103 females, 65 males; mean age 64.85  ±  14.92 years) treated at two centers in the United States and Germany between January 2014 and September 2015. Patients underwent six Soleve™ treatment sessions at 2–4 day intervals. Each session included 20 minutes of treatment targeting the 10 points with lowest impedance. Inclusion criteria were age ≥ 18 years and baseline pain score ≥ 4 cm on the visual analogue scale (VAS). The primary outcome was change in pain intensity measured on a 10 cm pain VAS. Results The mean  ±  SD baseline VAS score was 6.51  ±  1.27 cm. Treatment resulted in a significant decrease in VAS scores compared to baseline by 2.0 cm ( P  < 0.001). Forty percent of patients achieved VAS improvement of at least 3 cm. Patients with severe initial pain (VAS 7–10) showed greater improvement (2.47 ± 2.19 cm) compared to those with moderate pain (1.49 ± 1.82 cm) (P < 0.005). No adverse events were reported. Conclusions This retrospective analysis provides preliminary evidence that targeted hyperstimulation analgesia using automated MTrP detection is safe and may improve CLBP. The results support further investigation through randomized controlled trials.