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Assessing Discomfort Levels During Facial Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Using Discomfort Level Scale: A Preliminary Study

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Abstract

The primary aim of the current study was to evaluate discomfort levels of facial NMES in healthy volunteers. Eight participants completed the Discomfort Level Scale (DLS) following each motor level facial neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) session. Each participant completed 12 sessions of facial NMES for a total of 96 NMES treatments. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient demonstrated a significant correlation between the facial NMES intensity level and DLS (p < 0.001). This study demonstrated that the DLS is a useful tool to check for discomfort levels in patients who receive facial NMES. Further, this study provides strong support for the tolerability of facial NMES.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, [MS].

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Correspondence to Mohammed Safi.

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Safi, M. Assessing Discomfort Levels During Facial Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Using Discomfort Level Scale: A Preliminary Study. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 74 (Suppl 3), 5275–5279 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-020-02173-5

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