Effects of high voltage static current on blood circulation and muscle pain in sedentary subjects

Abstract

High voltage static current has been used as a mean for improving the regulation of body functions for many years especially in some eastern countries. Increasing blood circulation and relieving muscle pain have been claimed as its physiological effects. However, evidence to support these effects is limited only in an animal study. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of high voltage static current therapy on alteration of skin blood flow and relieving muscle pain in sedentary subjects. Seventy-six sedentary subjects volunteered to participate in the study. They were randomly allocated in either a treatment group or a control group. The subjects in the treatment group received a four-week course of high voltage therapy consisted of three sessions/week, and 30 minutes/session. The subjects in the control group received placebo high voltage therapy with the same frequency and duration of participation. Once a week, each of the subjects was assessed on measures including for skin blood flow, skin temperature, pressure pain threshold (PPT), visual analog scale of pain perception (VAS), vital signs, and subjective symptoms. Data were analyzed by paired t-test and ANCOVA using the baseline as covariate.  The VAS was found significantly reduced in the treatment group for immediate effect (P = 0.003) and during week one (P = 0.041). The PPT was found significantly increased within both groups (P < 0.001) but not for the between-group comparison (P = 0.854). The same pattern of the results was found for skin temperature. There was no significantly change in skin blood flow and vital signs in both groups except the respiratory rate which was reduced a little in the treatment group. One of three of the subjects in the treatment group reported that they had better sleep at night whereas no one from the control group had this experience. These results implies that high voltage static current therapy has temporary effect on reduce muscle pain and may have some relaxation effect on the body.  It has neither effect on skin blood flow nor on vital signs.