Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2024 Dec 19;25(1):839.
doi: 10.1186/s13063-024-08613-9.

Effect of transcutaneous electro-stimulation in postoperative rehabilitation pain treatment in thoracic surgery: a randomized clinical trial

Daniel David Álamo-Arce  1 , Daniel López-Fernández  1 , Raquel Medina-Ramírez  2 , Martín Vílchez-Barrera  1 , Pilar Etopa-Bitata  3 , Maria Del Pino Quintana-Montesdeoca  3 , Aníbal Báez-Suárez  1 , Jorge L Freixinet  3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effect of transcutaneous electro-stimulation in postoperative rehabilitation pain treatment in thoracic surgery: a randomized clinical trial

Daniel David Álamo-Arce et al. Trials. .

Abstract

Background: Chest pain is one of the most difficult problems to solve after thoracic surgery. Its correct control is often quite difficult, which can cause complications due to an ineffective cough and superficial respiratory movements.

Methods: This study has been designed with the purpose of studying the value of transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS) in the postoperative pain rehabilitation of thoracotomy. A prospective and randomized study has been developed. The patients (n = 109) have been treated after hospital discharge with physiotherapy for 3 weeks. Three groups have been established: experimental (n = 37), control (n = 35), and placebo (n = 37), experimental and placebo including the application of TENS during the physiotherapy protocol. Postoperative pain (McGill test) and spirometry have been studied before and after treatment.

Results: The largest between-group discrepancy occurred between the experimental and control groups, 16.77 points (p < 0.001). Spirometry has shown an improvement in FVC (27.11%) and FEV1 (28.68%) (p < 0.001) in the experimental group, which was statistically significant compared to the other groups.

Conclusion: The use of TENS, as an adjunctive treatment to physiotherapy, leads to an improvement in pain control and spirometry values in patients after thoracic surgery, without producing side effects with the technique. These findings provide physiological evidence for the use of TENS in post-pulmonary surgery and may form the basis for the development of pain managed-based programs in clinics and hospitals.

Trial registration: NCT04964973 (ClinicalTrials.gov). First registration: July 16, 2021.

Protocol: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04964973 .

Keywords: Electrotherapy; Physical therapy modalities; Postoperative pain; Thoracic surgery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This research (ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT04964973, first registration on July 16, 2021) has been authorized by the Hospital’s Research Ethics Committee (CEIC 15012). It followed the ethical guidelines set out in the Declaration of Helsinki. The participants were informed that they could withdraw from the study whenever they desired without negative consequences. They were also assured confidentiality for their personal information. All patients signed an informed consent statement before starting the study. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Diagram of the intervention process developed
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Box diagram representing the results comparing the three groups, for the variables pre-physical therapy and final FEV1 and FVC pre and final physical therapy. The term “PRE_FIS” means before the physical therapy program
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Results compared by groups of the initial and final total PRI in a box plot
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Liu CW, Page MG, Weinrib A, Wong D, Huang A, McRae K, et al. Predictors of one year chronic post-surgical pain trajectories following thoracic surgery. J Anesth. 2021;35(4):505–14. - PubMed
    1. Peng Z, Li H, Zhang C, Qian X, Feng Z, Zhu S. A retrospective study of chronic post-surgical pain following thoracic surgery: prevalence, risk factors, incidence of neuropathic component, and impact on qualify of life. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(2):e90014. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Borges-Santos E, Hilgert Genz IC, Felipe Longo A, Hayahsi D, Golias Gonçalves C, Milenkovich Bellinetti L, et al. Pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength and quality of life in patients submitted to elective thoracotomies. Rev Col Bras Cir. 2012;39(1):4–9. - PubMed
    1. Husch HH, Watte G, Zanon M, Pacini GS, Birriel D, Carvalho PL, et al. Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on pain, pulmonary function, and respiratory muscle strength after posterolateral thoracotomy: a randomized controlled trial. Lung. 2020;198(2):345–53. - PubMed
    1. Fiorelli A, Morgillo F, Milione R, Pace M, Passavanti M, Laperuta P, et al. Control of post-thoracotomy pain by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation: effect on serum cytokine levels, visual analogue scale, pulmonary function and medication. J Eur Assoc Cardiothor Surg. 2011;41:861–8 discussion 868. - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data

LinkOut - more resources