[Anti-inflammatory and analgesic electrotherapy. Evidence in rheumatology?].

The objective of this article is an assessment of the evidence on antiinflammatory and analgesic current in rheumatology. Three trials on the effects of TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) with RA-patients (rheumatoid arthritis) showed good analgesic effect, while one study on EMS (electrical muscle stimulation) demonstrated a benefit in muscle strength and function. No anti-inflammatory effect could be verified. The overall validity is limited due to the small number of studies and the methodical quality of the analyzed trials.