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. 2015 Jan;27(1):23-5.
doi: 10.1589/jpts.27.23. Epub 2015 Jan 9.

Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on pain in patients with spinal cord injury: a randomized controlled trial

Xia Bi  1 , Hong Lv  2 , Bin-Lin Chen  3 , Xin Li  3 , Xue-Qiang Wang  3
Affiliations

Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on pain in patients with spinal cord injury: a randomized controlled trial

Xia Bi et al. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015 Jan.

Abstract

[Purpose] To investigate the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on pain in patients with spinal cord injury. [Subjects and Methods] Fifty-two spinal cord injury patients with central pain were randomly allocated into two groups TENS and control with 26 subjects per group. The patients in TENS and control groups were treated with TENS and sham TENS for 20 min (three times a week) for 12 consecutive weeks, respectively. The two group's pain was assessed using visual analog scale (VAS) and the McGill Pain Questionnaire (including pain rating index-total, pain rating index-affective, pain rating index-sensory, present pain intensity, and number of words chosen) before and after the treatment. [Results] After the intervention, we found significant differences in VAS, pain rating index-total, pain rating index-affective, pain rating index-sensory, present pain intensity, and number of words chosen between the TENS group and the control group. [Conclusion] Our results suggest that TENS effectively decreases pain in patients with spinal cord injury.

Keywords: Pain; Spinal cord injury; Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Flow diagram showing the study protocol
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