Majithia, N., Smith, T.J., Coyne, P.J., Abdi, S., Pachman, D.R., Lachance, D., . . . O’Neill, C. (2016). Scrambler therapy for the management of chronic pain. Supportive Care in Cancer, 24, 2807–2814.
STUDY PURPOSE: To evaluate what is known about mechanisms of scramble therapy and investigate preliminary evidence regarding efficacy
TYPE OF STUDY: General review/semi-systematic review
PHASE OF CARE: Not specified or not applicable
Most reports showed positive results for pain reduction for various pain syndromes. One double-blind, randomized trial showed no difference between controls and those receiving scrambler therapy for chemotherapy-related peripheral neuropathy.
Scramble therapy may have benefit for management of chronic pain and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy; however, current evidence is limited and weak.
Scrambler therapy, a neuromodulator approach to pain relief, may have some benefit in the management of chronic pain and peripheral neuropathy; however, current evidence is limited, and study designs have high risk of bias. Given the promising findings with scrambler therapy, additional well-designed research is warranted.