Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation -- otherwise known as TENS -- is a method for treating body pain. The TENS exercise triggers the nerves in the painful area using high and low frequency electric currents. While some users claim that TENS is a very effective exercise for pain relief, several studies and reports suggest that the efficacy of TENS exercise is limited.
TENS Theory
The TENS device fixes onto an area of pain on the body via small skin pads. According to Dr. Trish Macnair writing on the BBC website, TENS advocates claim that the method can relieve pain in one of two ways: by blocking pain signals to the brain with high frequency stimulation of healthy nerves, or by triggering release of a pain-relieving body chemical, endorphins.
Use With Stroke Victims
The TENS exercise may have some benefit for rehabilitation in stroke victims, according to researchers from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. A 2009 experiment followed 109 stroke survivors split into three groups, including one group treated only with TENS. Participants using TENS treatment alongside rehabilitation exercises showed the greatest improvement in terms of distance covered and speed of movement. Researchers concluded that TENS may have some efficacy working alongside exercise treatment to help stroke patients regain mobility.
Musculoskeletal Pain
A 2007 study commission by the International Association for the Study of Pain suggested that TENS offers relief to sufferers of chronic musculoskeletal pain.The study collated various previous studies between 1976 and 2006 resulting in 38 studies in total covering over 1,200 participants. Each participant suffered from chronic musculoskeletal pain, a condition that affects bones, tendons, joints and muscles throughout the body with no single localized source of pain.
Placebo Effect
Despite some studies showing benefits in TENS exercise, several reliable studies point to TENS being no more than a placebo. For example, a study cited by the "New England Journal of Medicine" suggests that TENS offers no more benefit in treating lower back pain than ordinary exercise. Similarly, scientists at the Pain Research Unit at Oxford University demonstrated that TENS offered no more relief to women during labor than a placebo.
References
- BBC: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS); Dr. Trish McNair;
- Pubmed,gov: Does the Use of TENS Increase the Effectiveness of Exercise for Improving Walking After Stroke? A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial; Ng SS, Hui-Chan CW; 2009
- New England Journal of Medicine: A Controlled Trial of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and Exercise for Chronic Low Back Pain; RA Deyo et al.;
- Elsevier Health: Efficacy of Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
