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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2024 Jan-Dec:20:17455057241266455.
doi: 10.1177/17455057241266455.

The role of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for menstrual pain relief: A randomized control trial

Bailey McLagan  1 , Joshua Dexheimer  2 , Nicole Strock  3 , Shayna Goldstein  1 , Stephanie Guzman  1 , David Erceg  1 , E Todd Schroeder  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The role of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for menstrual pain relief: A randomized control trial

Bailey McLagan et al. Womens Health (Lond). 2024 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Background: Abdominal pain due to menses (primary dysmenorrhea) is an extremely pervasive and debilitating symptom affecting up to 90% of menstruating individuals.

Objective: The objective of this randomized control trial was to investigate the effect of a commercial transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit, Therabody PowerDot® (Therabody Inc., Los Angeles) on dysmenorrhea compared with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use.

Design: This was a randomized cross-over study.

Methods: A total of 47 participants agreed to participate in the study, with 34 completing it. Participants completed treatments across three consecutive menstrual cycles in randomized order: single-unit transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (Uno), dual unit transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (Duo), and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use (Control). Upon onset of dysmenorrhea, participants applied transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to their abdomen for a minimum of 30 min. Control participants were instructed to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as needed. Surveys were used to record pain before and after treatment. We hypothesized that the PowerDot would decrease self-reported pain scores, and decrease non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug consumption during menses.

Results: Participants experienced a statistically and clinically significant reduction in pain during the Control (-3.52 ± 1.9), Uno (-2.10 ± 1.6), and Duo (-2.19 ± 1.7) cycles (p < 0.001). The doses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs consumed during the Control cycle (3.5 ± 2.6), was significantly different as compared with that of Uno (1.5 ± 3.0), or Duo (1.1 ± 2.6) (p = 0.004).

Conclusions: Use of a commercial transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit results in significant decrease in pain. Although not as robust as the relief in pain induced by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the adverse events of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation are minimal in comparison. Therefore, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation appears to be a viable alternative to pain relief from dysmenorrhea.

Clinical trial registration: NCT05178589.

Keywords: dysmenorrhea; menstruation; transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

Plain language summary

The role of electrical signals for period pain reliefMenstruation, also known as the period, is a cyclicly occurring event in people who are assigned female at birth. Often, the period is associated with abdominal pain that can be debilitating for many. This abdominal pain is typically treated using over-the-counter medications, such as ibuprofen; however, there several noted side effects that can arise from use of such medication. As such, this study aimed to understand if a device (Therabody PowerDot®; Therabody Inc., Los Angeles) that sends an electrical current to pads placed over the abdomen, much like a heating pad, could be used to decrease pain during the period to a similar level as medication. The research team studied three consecutive periods with differing setups: a single, elongated pad, placed on the lower abdomen (Uno), two circular pads placed on the lower abdomen (Duo), or no use of the device, only medication (Control). The researchers analyzed data from 34 individuals. It was found that all three cycles experienced a significant decrease in pain, with the control cycle having a greater decrease in pain than both the Uno and Duo. This study suggests that the electrical stimulation used here can greatly decrease pain during the period, though not as substantial as medication.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: N.S. served as a consultant that helped in study design and manuscript editing, but did not have access to raw data/analysis.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Cross-over flow chart.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Examples of a setup using the PowerDot TENS device. Uno device setup (left) uses a single device, attached to two electrodes on a “butterfly” pad. Duo device setup (right) uses both devices, attached to four electrodes on four separate pads. Copyright permission to use the above image was provided by Therabody, Inc.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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