The Efficiency of Combined Capacitive and Resistive Energy Transfer (TECAR) Therapy and Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) in Pain Reduction on Patients With Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Clinical Study.
Ana-Maria Fatu, Roxana Oana Ciobotaru, Alexia Balta, Alina-Maria Lescai, Nicolae Sarbu, Doina Carina Voinescu, Claudiu Elisei E Tanase
Abstract
Open AccessIntroduction Musculoskeletal disorders represent a major global burden, being the main cause of global disability. Current management of musculoskeletal pain includes medication (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, intra-articular injections), physiotherapy, and surgery. A modern approach in musculoskeletal pain physiotherapy is capacitive and resistive energy transfer (TECAR) therapy associated with low-level laser therapy (LLLT). Materials and methods We conducted a prospective, observational, cross-sectional, multicenter clinical study that included a total of 268 patients with clinically and imaging-confirmed musculoskeletal disorders. The collected data were entered and processed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20 (Released 2011; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Results The repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a statistically significant and progressive reduction in visual analog scale (VAS) scores across the four time points, demonstrating that the combined TECAR and LASER therapy produced a consistent and clinically relevant improvement in pain. The benefits have been observed across multiple pathologies, including knee osteoarthritis, lumbar and cervical disc herniation, spondylosis, and tendinopathies, with consistent clinical responses across subgroups. Conclusion TECAR combined with LLLT represents a non-invasive, effective, and well-tolerated intervention, with the potential to become a central component in the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain. However, further randomized, multicenter studies incorporating functional assessments and long-term follow-up are required to confirm and extend these findings.