An Investigation Into the Effect of Electrode Placement of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on Experimentally Induced Ischemic Pain in Healthy Human Participants

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 735-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley Brown ◽  
Ghazala Tabasam ◽  
Jan M. Bjordal ◽  
Mark I. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Electrode Placement ◽  
Ischemic Pain ◽  
Healthy Human ◽  
Electrical Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Human Participants ◽  
Experimentally Induced

scholarly journals An Investigation Into the Analgesic Effects of Interferential Currents and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Experimentally Induced Ischemic Pain in Otherwise Pain-Free Volunteers

2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark I Johnson ◽  
Ghazala Tabasam
Keyword(s):  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Group Method ◽  
Ischemic Pain ◽  
Current Output ◽  
Electrical Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Analgesic Effects ◽  
Experimentally Induced

Abstract Background and Purpose. Interferential currents (IFC) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) are used for pain management. This study compared the analgesic effects of IFC and TENS on experimentally induced ischemic pain in otherwise pain-free subjects using a modified version of the submaximal-effort tourniquet technique. Subjects. The subjects were 30 volunteers (18 male, 12 female) without known pathology that could cause pain. Their mean age was 33.5 years (SD=9.9, range=21–54). Method. A single-blind, sham-controlled, parallel-group method was used. The primary outcome measure was the change in the self-report of pain intensity during 1 of 3 possible interventions: (1) IFC, (2) TENS, or (3) sham electrotherapy. The IFC and TENS were administered on the forearm, and the sham electrotherapy group received no current output via a dummy stimulator. Results. A 2-way repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed that there was no change in pain intensity during treatment when all 3 groups were considered together. Further analysis revealed that IFC reduced pain intensity when compared with sham electrotherapy but not when compared only with TENS. Discussion and Conclusion. There were no differences in the magnitude of analgesia between IFC and TENS. Interferential currents reduced pain intensity to a greater extent than sham electrotherapy.

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