Short report: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for pain relief: recent research findings and implications for clinical use

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is used for the relief of pain. This paper investigates recent evidence for the use of TENS by physiotherapists in the treatment of acute, chronic and labour pain.In acute pain, where good analgesia from medication is readily available, the value of TENS has not been definitively demonstrated in randomized controlled trials. This notwithstanding, in cases where medications are not available or use is inadvisable, a trial of TENS is recommended, e.g. during labour.In the treatment of chronic pain, a large percentage of patients initially receive pain relief from TENS; for some this reduces over the initial 3 months. It would appear, however, that there are a small group of chronic pain patients who continue to respond well to TENS over a prolonged period.The overall quality of many trials was poor. Further research is recommended in a number of areas, including the effectiveness of specific stimulation parameters, efficacy in designated conditions, and predictors for positive responders.