Ann Anesthesiol Fr. 1978 ; 19(5): 435-8.

[Modes of action of various aspects of analgesia by stimulation]

Fox EJ, Melzack R, Villanueva R.

A study of 12 patients suffering from chronic lumbar pain led to a comparison of the results of treatment with traditional acupuncture and that with transcutaneous electrical stimulation. The degree and quality of pain, as well as the duration of relief after treatment, were analyzed in an attempt to differentiate between the two forms of analgesia. Statistical analysis of the two methods showed no significant difference. Not only did they appear to have the same therapeutic merit, but it would also seem reasonable to suppose that they have a common mechanism at their origin. Intense stimulation of trigger points followed by relief of pain led us to compare them to acupuncture zones both in terms of topography and characteristics. There was a certain analogy of distribution, associated with a similarity of expression which led us to consider that these two techniques were possibly related to the same neurological process.