2. INTRODUCTION
•Antibodies that bind to myelin and nerve cells and protect nerves from
damage and stimulate myelin regeneration have been identified. nerve
stimulation helps up to 70% of the patients
• selected for treatment. The rate of reduction in pain varies from patient to
patient. On average, pain scores are reduced by around 50%.
3. ABSTRACT
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-invasive, inexpensive, self-
administered technique to relieve pain.
• There are few side effects and no potential for overdose so patients can titrate the treatment as
required.
• TENS techniques include conventional TENS, acupuncture-like TENS and intense TENS. In
general, conventional TENS is used in the first instance.
• The purpose of conventional TENS is to selectively activate large diameter non-noxious
• afferents (A-beta) to reduce nociceptor cell activity and sensitization at a segmental level in the
central nervous system.
• Pain relief with conventional TENS is rapid in onset and offset and is maximal when the patient
experiences a strong but non-painful paraesthesia beneath the electrodes. Therefore, patients may need to
administer TENS throughout the day.
• Clinical experience suggests that TENS may be beneficial as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy for acute
pain although systematic reviews are conflicting. Clinical experience and systematic reviews suggest
that TENS is beneficial for chronic pain
4. What is a nerve stimulator used for?
• A spinal cord stimulator is an implanted device that sends low levels of electricity directly into the
spinal cord to relieve pain.
• Small studies suggest that NS provides relief from painful menstrual cramps and back pain related
to the menstrual cycle.
• TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation)
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a method of pain relief involving the use of a
mild electrical current.
• ATENS machine is a small, battery-operated device that has leads connected to sticky pads called
electrodes.
• You attach the pads directly to your skin. When the machine is switched on, small electrical impulses
are delivered to the affected area of your body, which you feel as a tingling sensation.
• The electrical impulses can reduce the pain signals going to the spinal cord and brain, which may help
relieve pain and relax muscles. They may also stimulate the production of endorphins,
• which are the body's natural painkillers.
6. WHAT TENS IS USED ?
• TENS may be able to help reduce pain and muscle spasms caused by a wide
range of conditions including:
• arthritisperiod painpelvic pain caused by endometriosisknee
painsports injuries It's also sometimes used as a method of pain relief
during labour.
7. DOES TENS WORK?
• There's not enough good-quality scientific evidence to say for sure whether TENS
is a reliable method of pain relief. More research is needed and clinical trials are
ongoing.
• Healthcare professionals have reported that it seems to help some people, although
how well it works depends on the individual and the condition being treated.
• TENS is not a cure for pain and often only provides short-term relief while the
TENS machine is being used.
• However, the treatment is generally very safe and you may feel it's worth trying
instead of, or in addition to, the usual medical treatments.
9. What are the parts of a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
device and how do they work?
• The battery-powered TENS device is about the size of a small cell phone. The device comes
with several sets of electrode wires and end pads. The electrodes connect to the device at one
end and are attached to about 2 inch by 2 inch pads at the other end. Each pad has an adhesive
backing
• and is positioned on your skin in specific areas along nerve pathways in the area to be
treated. (Instead of direct contact with the skin, an acupuncturist may connect the TENS unit
to
• acupuncture needles.)
• The device delivers pulses of electrical energy. Pulses can be adjusted for intensity,
frequency, duration, and type (burst or continuous). A doctor, physical therapist, or
acupuncturist determines and adjusts the machine’s settings.
10. What are the advantages or benefits of transcutaneous electrical nerve
stimulation (TENS) therapy?
• TENS is a non-invasive method of pain relief. It can be used alone or in addition to prescriptions or
over-the-counter pain-relieving medications. The amount of medication may be able to be reduced in
some patients who use TENS therapy. Do not stop taking or make any adjustments in your dose of
medications without discussing it with your doctor first.
• Another benefit of the TENS unit is that it is small and portable and therefore can be used at home
or away, anytime pain relief is needed.
• INTENSITY : A dial allows the user to adjust the intensity of the electrical stimulation.
• Frequency: The frequency refers to the number of electrical pulses per second. High-frequency (HF)
pulses range from 80 to 120 cycles per second and may help manage acute pain.
• Low-frequency (LF) pulses range from 1 to 20 cycles per second and are suitable for the
treatment of chronic
11. PLACEMENT OF TENS IN THE
BODY
DURA
TION :
The duration is the number of microseconds that the current enters the
skin for during each pulse.
Benefits
TENS is a noninvasive method for relieving pain. People who experience
pain relief from TENS may be able to reduce their intake of pain
medications, some of which can be addictive or cause adverse side effects.
TENS units are also convenient because they are small, portable, and
relatively discrete. People can carry a TENS unit in their pocket or clip it
onto a belt to ensure that they have immediate
access to pain relief throughout the day
12. ELECTRODE PLACEMENT :
• TENS may be more effective if people place the electrodes on acupuncture
points.
• Acupuncture is a practice that uses needles to stimulate the nerves beneath
the skin at specific locations known as acupuncture points. Experts believe
that this assists the body in producing endorphins.
13. MEDICAL USES :
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is a commonly used treatment approach
to alleviate acute and chronic pain by reducing the sensitization of dorsal horn
neurons, elevating levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid and glycine, and inhibiting
glial activation. However, many
• systematic reviews and meta analyses assessing clinical trials looking at the
effectiveness of using TENS to reduce different sources of pain have been
inconclusive due to a lack of high quality and unbiased evidence. Potential benefits of
TENS treatment include the safety, relative low cost, the ability to self-administer,
and availability over the counter without a prescription.In principle, an adequate
intensity of stimulation is necessary to achieve pain relief with TENS. An analysis of
treatment fidelity (meaning that the delivery of TENS in a trial was in accordance
• with current clinical advice, such as using "a strong but comfortable sensation"
and suitable, frequent treatment durations) showed that higher fidelity trials tended
to have a positive outcome.
14. ACUTE PAIN RELIEVER :
• For people with recent onset pain (less than three months) such as pain associated
with surgery, trauma, and/or medical procedures, TENS may be better than placebo in
some cases, however the evidence of benefit is very weak.
MUSCOSKELATAL AND NECK /BACK PAIN RELIEVER :
• There is some evidence to support a benefit of using TENS in chronic
musculoskeletal pain.Results from a task force on neck pain in 2008, found no
clinically significant benefit to TENS for the treatment of neck pain when compared
to a placebo treatment. A 2010 review did not find evidence to support the use of
TENS for chronic low back pain.
16. PERIOD CRAMP :
• Some people simulate menstruation cramps by using a transcutaneous
electrical nerve
• stimulation (TENS) machine. Cleveland Clinic reported that TENS machines
are generally used to treat pain by blocking or changing an individual's
perception of pain by delivering electrical impulses on the surface of the skin
17. CANCER PAIN :
• Non-pharmacological treatment options for people experiencing pain caused
by cancer are much needed, however, it is not clear from the weak studies that
have been published if TENS is an
• effective approach.
18. EFFICACY :
• While the use of TENS has proved effective in clinical studies, the machine
used to treat cancer therapy also. It's best for all nerve implantation and to cure
nerve faults.Clinical experience
• suggests that TENS is useful for acute and chronic pain of nociceptive,
neuropathic and musculoskeletal origin.