Objective:This review aimed to investigate the effects of combined treatment with thermotherapy and electrical stimulation simultaneously in musculoskeletal pain disorders. Method: A systematic review was performed using electronic databases including PubMed and Embase. Following search terms were used: (simultaneous OR synchronous OR combined) AND (thermotherapy OR “thermal therapy” OR heat OR “hot pack” OR ultrasound OR microwave OR shortwave OR cold OR cryotherapy) AND (“electrical stimulation” OR electrotherapy OR TENS OR “interferential current”). Studies on the simultaneous application of thermotherapy and electrical stimulation, comparing with single physical modalities or massage were included.

Results:After title and abstract exclusion, four articles were selected, according to the eligibility criteria. Combined treatment did not reveal a differential effect on pain reduction when compared to a single physical modality. However, combined treatment showed superior effects on functional aspects such as range of motion (ROM) and timed up-and-go score.

Conclusion:This review suggests that combined treatment with thermotherapy and electrical stimulation simultaneously seems to have a superior effect on ROM, balance, and gait ability, but not pain reduction, in musculoskeletal pain disorders. However, the number of included studies in this review was small and study designs were heterogeneous. Therefore, further research is needed to confirm these findings.