The Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Osteoarthritic Knees: A Literature Review

Osteoarthritis (OA) is reportedly the most common joint disease among older adults. This condition is a primary cause of pain and disability and results in more than 700,000 total knee replacements in the US each year. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has long been a safe, non-invasive way to treat OA of the knees, however the overall benefit of TENS remains questionable. A review of literature on the effectiveness of TENS on OA of the knees indicates that benefits are typically seen in pain reduction and increased function. However, similar benefits are frequently seen with the use of sham-TENS introducing the possible influence of a placebo effect. For this reason the effectiveness of TENS remains inconclusive. The combination of TENS and acupuncture (electroacupuncture) is less studied, nevertheless available results indicate benefits in reducing pain and increasing function with statically significant higher benefits than sham-electroacupuncture.