The effects of TECAR therapy on pain, range of motion, strength and subscale of HAGOS questionnaire in athletes with chronic adductor related groin pain: a randomized controlled trial
Abstract Introduction Groin pain is a common issue among athletes. Adductor-related pain is known as the most common cause of groin pain. Although, non-operative treatments have limited efficacy, Capacitive and Resistive Energy Transfer (TECAR), can be used in the treatment of musculoskeletal condit...
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BMC
2025-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08304-9 |
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| author | Sara Nazari Soheil Mansour Sohani Javad Sarrafzadeh Hooman Angoorani Abbas Tabatabaei |
| author_facet | Sara Nazari Soheil Mansour Sohani Javad Sarrafzadeh Hooman Angoorani Abbas Tabatabaei |
| author_sort | Sara Nazari |
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| description | Abstract Introduction Groin pain is a common issue among athletes. Adductor-related pain is known as the most common cause of groin pain. Although, non-operative treatments have limited efficacy, Capacitive and Resistive Energy Transfer (TECAR), can be used in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. The objective of the present study is to explore the effect of TECAR therapy on pain, range of motion (ROM), strength, and subscales of the "Copenhagen Thigh and Groin Assessment Scale"(HAGOS) questionnaire in athletes suffering from adductor-related groin pain (ARGP). Methods This study was a two arm parallel groups randomized sham-controlled superiority trial. A total of 22 male professional athletes (mean age 21.36 years) were randomly assigned to either the real TECAR therapy (n = 11) or sham TECAR therapy (n = 11) group, using block-balanced randomization. Both groups received stretching exercises. Intervention group received 10 sessions of TECAR therapy while, the control group received sham TECAR therapy. Primary outcome was pain that was measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes included ROM, strength, and HAGOS questionnaire subscales. All outcomes were assessed at baseline, after 5 sessions, after 10 sessions, and one month after treatment. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Analysis of Covariance were used to compare between-group mean differences. P-value was set at 0.05. Effect size Cohen’s d was also reported. This study took place from September 2022 to August 2023 at the Rehabilitation Clinic at Iran University of Medical Sciences. Results A total of 22 male athletes were included (11 in each group), with a mean age of 21.09 years in the TECAR group and 21.63 years in the sham group. TECAR therapy was associated with significant reductions in pain intensity across all evaluation sessions. Specifically, after 5 sessions, there was a large effect size for pain reduction (p = 0.01, Cohen’s d = -1.09 [95% CI: -0.195 to -1.987]); after 10 sessions, the effect was even larger (p = 0.001, Cohen’s d = -2.153 [95% CI: -1.103 to -3.203]); and at the 1-month follow-up, the pain reduction persisted (p = 0.001, Cohen’s d = -1.96 [95% CI: -0.944 to -2.978]). In terms of secondary outcomes, there was a significant improvement in hip adduction ROM at the 1-month follow-up (p = 0.03, Cohen’s d = 0.908 [95% CI: 0.03 to 1.78]). However, no statistically significant differences were found for other secondary outcomes, with effect sizes ranging from no effect to intermediate. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that TECAR therapy may reduce pain and improve hip adduction range of motion in athletes with adductor-related groin pain. Trial registration This trial was registered at the ( https://www.irct.ir ), (IRCT20220622055250N1) on 18/09/2022. |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2474 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-7a16803ea6914875ac611708b58e64ea2025-01-26T12:10:04ZengBMCBMC Musculoskeletal Disorders1471-24742025-01-0126111510.1186/s12891-025-08304-9The effects of TECAR therapy on pain, range of motion, strength and subscale of HAGOS questionnaire in athletes with chronic adductor related groin pain: a randomized controlled trialSara Nazari0Soheil Mansour Sohani1Javad Sarrafzadeh2Hooman Angoorani3Abbas Tabatabaei4Department of Physiotherapy, Iranian Center of Excellence in Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation Research Center, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Physiotherapy, Iranian Center of Excellence in Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation Research Center, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Physiotherapy, Iranian Center of Excellence in Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation Research Center, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Hazrat Rasool-E-Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Physiotherapy, Iranian Center of Excellence in Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation Research Center, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical SciencesAbstract Introduction Groin pain is a common issue among athletes. Adductor-related pain is known as the most common cause of groin pain. Although, non-operative treatments have limited efficacy, Capacitive and Resistive Energy Transfer (TECAR), can be used in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. The objective of the present study is to explore the effect of TECAR therapy on pain, range of motion (ROM), strength, and subscales of the "Copenhagen Thigh and Groin Assessment Scale"(HAGOS) questionnaire in athletes suffering from adductor-related groin pain (ARGP). Methods This study was a two arm parallel groups randomized sham-controlled superiority trial. A total of 22 male professional athletes (mean age 21.36 years) were randomly assigned to either the real TECAR therapy (n = 11) or sham TECAR therapy (n = 11) group, using block-balanced randomization. Both groups received stretching exercises. Intervention group received 10 sessions of TECAR therapy while, the control group received sham TECAR therapy. Primary outcome was pain that was measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes included ROM, strength, and HAGOS questionnaire subscales. All outcomes were assessed at baseline, after 5 sessions, after 10 sessions, and one month after treatment. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Analysis of Covariance were used to compare between-group mean differences. P-value was set at 0.05. Effect size Cohen’s d was also reported. This study took place from September 2022 to August 2023 at the Rehabilitation Clinic at Iran University of Medical Sciences. Results A total of 22 male athletes were included (11 in each group), with a mean age of 21.09 years in the TECAR group and 21.63 years in the sham group. TECAR therapy was associated with significant reductions in pain intensity across all evaluation sessions. Specifically, after 5 sessions, there was a large effect size for pain reduction (p = 0.01, Cohen’s d = -1.09 [95% CI: -0.195 to -1.987]); after 10 sessions, the effect was even larger (p = 0.001, Cohen’s d = -2.153 [95% CI: -1.103 to -3.203]); and at the 1-month follow-up, the pain reduction persisted (p = 0.001, Cohen’s d = -1.96 [95% CI: -0.944 to -2.978]). In terms of secondary outcomes, there was a significant improvement in hip adduction ROM at the 1-month follow-up (p = 0.03, Cohen’s d = 0.908 [95% CI: 0.03 to 1.78]). However, no statistically significant differences were found for other secondary outcomes, with effect sizes ranging from no effect to intermediate. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that TECAR therapy may reduce pain and improve hip adduction range of motion in athletes with adductor-related groin pain. Trial registration This trial was registered at the ( https://www.irct.ir ), (IRCT20220622055250N1) on 18/09/2022.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08304-9TECARGroinPainRange of motionStrengthHAGOS questionnaire |
| spellingShingle | Sara Nazari Soheil Mansour Sohani Javad Sarrafzadeh Hooman Angoorani Abbas Tabatabaei The effects of TECAR therapy on pain, range of motion, strength and subscale of HAGOS questionnaire in athletes with chronic adductor related groin pain: a randomized controlled trial BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders TECAR Groin Pain Range of motion Strength HAGOS questionnaire |
| title | The effects of TECAR therapy on pain, range of motion, strength and subscale of HAGOS questionnaire in athletes with chronic adductor related groin pain: a randomized controlled trial |
| title_full | The effects of TECAR therapy on pain, range of motion, strength and subscale of HAGOS questionnaire in athletes with chronic adductor related groin pain: a randomized controlled trial |
| title_fullStr | The effects of TECAR therapy on pain, range of motion, strength and subscale of HAGOS questionnaire in athletes with chronic adductor related groin pain: a randomized controlled trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effects of TECAR therapy on pain, range of motion, strength and subscale of HAGOS questionnaire in athletes with chronic adductor related groin pain: a randomized controlled trial |
| title_short | The effects of TECAR therapy on pain, range of motion, strength and subscale of HAGOS questionnaire in athletes with chronic adductor related groin pain: a randomized controlled trial |
| title_sort | effects of tecar therapy on pain range of motion strength and subscale of hagos questionnaire in athletes with chronic adductor related groin pain a randomized controlled trial |
| topic | TECAR Groin Pain Range of motion Strength HAGOS questionnaire |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08304-9 |
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