TENS doesn’t help low-back pain

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A popular pain therapy using a portable device called TENS -- transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation -- should not be used to treat chronic low-back pain, according to guidelines published online today in the journal Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The therapy is ineffective for low-back pain, according to the paper’s authors, although there is limited evidence that TENS is useful for treating diabetic nerve pain.

TENS is a pocket-sized device that delivers a mild electrical current to nerves through electrodes. The treatment has been used for a variety of types of pain, although there is little scientific data to demonstrate how it works. One theory is that the electrical stimulation confuses the brain and blocks the pain signal.

Studies on the value of TENS have produced conflicting results. The authors of the new guidelines analyzed all data on TENS in studies lasting three months or longer. The lead author of the paper, Dr. Richard M. Dubinsky of Kansas University Medical Center, said people currently using TENS for chronic low-back pain should discuss the guidelines with their doctor.

But TENS may still be useful for some patients, especially those with nerve pain, said the authors of an editorial accompanying the study. TENS is safe and easy to use and may still be a good alternative to pain medication. ‘... It is not unreasonable to take a practical position that, in spite of the relatively weak scientific and clinical evidence, TENS still represents a valuable therapeutic alternative in neurological pain disorders,’ they wrote.

-- Shari Roan