Abstract
PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of ultrasound (US) combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in treating lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and its effect on the level of inflammatory factors. METHODS: The data of 240 patients with LDH treated at our hospital from January 2020 to February 2021 were reviewed and classified into an US combined with NMES treatment group (US+NMES, n = 80), NMES only treatment group (NMES, n = 80), and US only treatment group (US, n = 80). Their Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, levels of inflammatory factors and pain mediators, recovery rate, and total recovery time before and after treatment were compared. Additionally, the incidence of complications/adverse reactions was also investigated. RESULTS: Compared with data before treatment, the three groups had lower VAS and ODI scores, inflammatory factor levels (interleukin- [IL-] 1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor- [TNF-] α), and pain mediators (transforming growth factor- [TGF-] β1, prostaglandin E2 [PEG2], and 5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) after treatment, with the most significant decrease observed in the US+NMES group. Compared with patients who received US or NMES treatment alone, patients from the US+NMES had faster recovery time and lower incidence of complications/adverse reactions. CONCLUSION: Collectively, US combined with NMES was associated with significant relief in pain and lumbar dysfunction and reduced local inflammatory response and pain mediator levels in LDH patients, suggesting that this combined approach could achieve better efficacy than US or NMES alone.