Laboratory for Advancements in Rehabilitation Sciences (LARS), Department of Physical Therapy, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA.
Department of Statistics, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA.
Eur J Pain. 2022 Mar;26(3):754-765. doi: 10.1002/ejp.1903. Epub 2022 Jan 6.
Knee pain is the major complaint in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA), and the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on knee pain are controversial. The present study applied TENS along with functional tests to investigate its effect on pain level in individuals with mild-to-moderate knee OA.
Twenty volunteers with knee OA classification of graded 2-3 performed four functional tests (stair climb test [SCT], timed up and go test [TUG], 6-minute walk test [6-MWT], knee extensor strength test [KES], and 2-step test from the locomotive syndrome risk test [LSR_2ST]) while wearing either an active or inactive TENS. Knee pain level before and after each test was self-accessed by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The effect of TENS (active vs. inactive) on pain level was submitted to statistical analyses.
Knee pain during SCT, TUG, and LSR_2ST tests was significantly lower when subjects used the active TENS, compared with using the inactive unit. The effect of the active TENS on pain level was also more significant in subjects with no anxiety or depression.
The results provided evidence of immediate pain relief in individuals with mild-to-moderate knee OA when TENS is applied along with functional activities, that usually induced pain in people with knee OA.
The use of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in pain management is still unclear. In this study, the analgesic effects of TENS in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) were found effective when applied along with functional activities. Therefore, study findings provided clinical evidence for the use of TENS during functional activities as a conservative approach to reduce knee OA pain.
膝关节疼痛是膝关节骨关节炎（OA）患者的主要主诉，经皮神经电刺激（TENS）对膝关节疼痛的影响存在争议。本研究应用 TENS 结合功能测试，研究其对轻中度膝关节 OA 患者疼痛水平的影响。
20 名膝关节 OA 分级 2-3 级的志愿者在佩戴主动或被动 TENS 时进行四项功能测试（爬楼梯测试[SCT]、计时起立行走测试[TUG]、6 分钟步行测试[6-MWT]、膝关节伸肌力量测试[KES]和运动障碍综合征风险测试的 2 步测试[LSR_2ST]），并通过视觉模拟量表（VAS）自行评估每次测试前后的膝关节疼痛水平。TENS（主动与被动）对疼痛水平的影响进行了统计学分析。
与使用被动 TENS 相比，志愿者在 SCT、TUG 和 LSR_2ST 测试中使用主动 TENS 时膝关节疼痛明显减轻。在无焦虑或抑郁的受试者中，主动 TENS 的镇痛效果也更为显著。
当 TENS 与功能活动结合应用时，可立即缓解轻中度膝关节 OA 患者的疼痛，而这些功能活动通常会引起膝关节 OA 患者的疼痛。
经皮神经电刺激（TENS）在疼痛管理中的应用仍不明确。在这项研究中，当 TENS 与功能活动结合应用时，发现其对膝关节骨关节炎（OA）患者具有镇痛作用。因此，研究结果为在功能活动期间使用 TENS 作为减轻膝关节 OA 疼痛的保守方法提供了临床依据。
