The Impact on the Stress-Associated Autonomic Response of Physiotherapy Students Receiving Interferential Current in an Electrotherapy Training Session

Luis Espejo-Antúnez, Carlos Fernández-Morales (), Sergio Hernández-Sánchez, María de los Ángeles Cardero-Durán, José Vicente Toledo-Marhuenda and Manuel Albornoz-Cabello
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Luis Espejo-Antúnez: Department of Medical-Surgical Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Carlos Fernández-Morales: Department of Medical-Surgical Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Sergio Hernández-Sánchez: Department of Pathology and Surgery (Area of Physiotherapy), Faculty of Medicine, Miguel Hernández University, 03550 Alicante, Spain
María de los Ángeles Cardero-Durán: Department of Medical-Surgical Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
José Vicente Toledo-Marhuenda: Department of Pathology and Surgery (Area of Physiotherapy), Faculty of Medicine, Miguel Hernández University, 03550 Alicante, Spain
Manuel Albornoz-Cabello: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Nursing, Physical Therapy and Podiatry, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-11

Abstract: Electrical currents are didactic contents widely applied in the training of physiotherapy students, but the treatment is considered a stressful situation for both the patient who receives it and the student who applies it. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stress-associated autonomic response of physiotherapy students receiving interferential current by measuring and analysing heart rate variability. An observational case–control study was conducted. Ninety healthy male volunteers, all physiotherapy degree students, were enrolled while attending laboratory practice during the 2020–2021 academic year. Participants were randomly allocated to a sham electrotherapy group (44 subjects), in which heart rate variability was recorded for 10 min, both at rest and during the application of sham technique on the lower back (10 min), and an electrotherapy group (46 subjects), applying the same procedure with the electrical current flowing. Outcome measures included baseline (seated position) and postintervention (prone position) time domain parameter, diameters of the Poincaré plot 1 and 2, stress score, and sympathetic/parasympathetic ratio. The sham electrotherapy group exhibited significant increases in time domain parameter ( p = 0.027) and diameters of the Poincaré plot 1 ( p = 0.032), with a small effect size (d ≤ 0.5). The electrotherapy group exhibited significant increases in time domain parameter and diameters of the Poincaré plot 1 and 2 ( p < 0.001) and decreases in the stress score and sympathetic/parasympathetic ratio ( p < 0.001), with a large effect size (d > 0.8) other than for the time domain parameter (d = 0.42), indicating increased parasympathetic and decreased sympathetic activity. After interventions, there were significant differences between groups in diameters of the Poincaré plot 2 ( p < 0.001), stress score ( p = 0.01) and sympathetic/parasympathetic ratio ( p = 0.003), with moderate effect size (d > 0.5). The application of the interferential current technique produces stress-associated autonomic response characterized by greater parasympathetic activity and decreased sympathetic activity. Further studies are needed to determine possible adverse effects.

Keywords: students; physiotherapy; interferential current; heart-rate variability; autonomic nervous system; physiological stress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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