People suffering from chronic low back pain can expect no long-term relief from the popular treatment known as transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS). According to a new guideline issued by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), treatment with TENS is not recommended for use in those having chronic low back pain that has continued for at least three months. The new guideline comes from the Academy’s Therapeutics and Technology Assessment Subcommittee, and was recently published online in the AAN journal Neurology. The recommendation stems from an analysis of data performed by Richard Dubinsky, MD, MPH, of the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, and Janis Miyasaki, M.D., ME.d., of Toronto Western Hospital in Toronto, and their colleagues.
The TENS treatment has been used in the treatment of many disorders involving pain for more than four decades. The portable TENS devices are battery-operated, pocket-sized, units that send an electric current through electrodes applied to the skin in the area where pain is being experienced. As the unit sends an adjustable electric current through the electrodes, the patient experiences a tingling sensation in the underlying skin and muscle. The belief is that short-term relief is due to the electric nerve stimulation blocking the pain signal to the brain.
Although the researchers maintain that TENS treatment is likely effective when used to alleviate the pain of diabetic neuropathy, regarding the use of the treatment for neurological disorders, they concluded, “Further research into the mechanism of action of TENS is needed, as well as more rigorous studies for determination of efficacy.”
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