Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-pharmacological method that is widely used by medical and paramedical professionals to treat acute and chronic pain in a variety of conditions.
Effects of acupuncture and TENS
with placebo, in addition to exercise, on the treatment of rotator cuff tendonitis. The use of TENS is contraindicated in patients with a demand-type pacemaker, since the emission of stimuli from the TENS unit can boost or inhibit the pacemaker. The mechanism of the analgesic produced by TENS is explained in the door control theory proposed by Melzack and Wall in 1965. In patients with chronic low back pain and sciatica, PENS was more effective than TENS in relieving short-term pain and improving function, including better sleep quality and a sense of well-being. In environments similar to those of acupuncture, the TENS unit delivers low-frequency stimulus trains of 1 to 10 Hz, with a high stimulus intensity, close to the patient's tolerance limit.Patients should receive instructions on the use and care of TENS equipment, with special attention to electrodes. The TENS unit should be used with caution in patients with a spinal cord stimulator or an intrathecal pump. Other disorders: TENS has been used successfully in patients with angina pectoris and imperative incontinence, as well as in patients who require dental anaesthesia. In general, TENS provides initial pain relief in 70-80% of patients, but the success rate decreases after a few months or more to around 20-30%. The results of laboratory studies suggest that electrical stimulation administered by a TENS unit reduces pain through nociceptive inhibition at the presynaptic level in the dorsal horn, limiting its central transmission.
In a study conducted on elderly patients with chronic low back pain (LBP), acupuncture and TENS had demonstrable benefits, and the acupuncture group demonstrated an improvement in spinal flexion. Therefore, a constant current stimulator is preferred to minimize sudden and uncontrolled fluctuations in current intensity related to changes in impedance. In addition, an attempt is made to briefly analyze the history of therapeutic electricity, the mechanism of action of TENS, the components of TENS equipment, the types, the techniques of administration, the advantages and contradictions of TENS. In Johnson's study on compliance in patients who benefited from TENS, 75% used the device on a daily basis. The main advantage of PENS over TENS is that it avoids local skin resistance and delivers electrical stimuli at the desired level with precision, very close to nerve endings located in soft tissues, muscles or the periosteum.
IFC and TENS had a statistically significant effect on the median nerve arousal threshold in young women.
