Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS] for short-term treatment of low back pain-randomized double blind crossover study of sham versus conventional TENS

The objective of this study was to compare conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS] with sham therapy using a randomized double blind crossover design. The subjects of the study were patients with chronic low back pain without sciatica seen in an outpatient clinic. Patients were randomized to receive either conventional TENS, or sham TENS, which was then followed by two treatments of the other modality. The physician, patient, and treating therapist were blinded to the order of treatment. Pain tolerance was measured with a visual analog scale rating from no pain to worst pain. Physical measurements included flexion, extension, straight leg raising, isolift score, back extensions, sit-ups, oblique sit-ups, and side flexion. There was a significant improvement for the conventional TENS in both the objective outcomes and functional measurements. The conclusion is that TENS therapy significantly reduces pain and improves performance on the majority of standardized tests of physical capacity. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation should be considered in the situation where short-term pain relief is desired.