In 2002, electrical stimulation was approved in the United States, for Medicare coverage for the treatment of nonresponding to standard wound-healing strategies, pressure, diabetic, stasis, and arterial ulcers. The approval of electrical stimulation constitutes an indication of the growing acceptance and evidence for its application for wound healing.1
Electrical stimulation may be highly variable in form and parameters. There is a substantial number of research studies on wound healing,2 but there is rarely a differentiation among types of electrical current. Still, various forms of currents such as direct currents, pulsed direct currents, high- or low-voltage pulsed currents, alternative currents, and low-intensity currents (LIC) are available. Therefore, the identification of effective forms/parameters of currents, which are supported by randomized-controlled trials, may be considered as clinically relevant.
A review of the effectiveness of LIC on wound healing was considered important by the authors, because LIC resemble the currents produced by the human body on wounding; therefore, there is a reasonable question whether this particular form of currents may be a beneficial range of amplitude for wound healing despite the very low amplitude.
The purpose of the study was to concentrate available research on LIC stimulation for wound healing and conduct the first review on the specific topic, to investigate its effectiveness, guide clinicians by providing treatment protocols, and stimulate further research on LIC and wound healing.