Is TENS better than placebo for chronic low back pain?
 Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been used for more than 3 decades to improve the drug treatment of pain.
Reviewers from the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada evaluated the evidence in treating low back pain for a Cochrane report.
First, the details.
- 4 high-quality studies in 585 patients met the selection criteria.
- Differences in the studies made it impossible to combine results for a meta-analysis.
And, the results.
- There was conflicting evidence about the value of TENS to reduce back pain intensity.
- 2 studies (410 patients) concluded TENS did not improve functional status.
- Work status and the use of medical services did not change with TENS.
- There was a lack of statistically significant improvement in physical outcomes vs placebo.
- Patients treated with acupuncture-like TENS responded similarly to those getting conventional TENS.
- Optimal treatment schedules could not be determined based on the evidence.
- Adverse effects included minor skin irritation at the site of electrode placement.
The bottom line?
The authors concluded, “Evidence from the small number of placebo-controlled trials does not support the use of TENS in the routine management of chronic low back pain.”
If you’re interested, eMedicine has a general overview of TENS for various conditions.
10/13/08 16:28 JR
