[Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in the treatment of a peripheral lesion of the brachial plexus].

This case report describes the clinical history of a patient on dialysis, who suffered from a lesion of the brachial plexus, secondary to a mechanical damage after attempted suicide. Therapy with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) revealed both sufficient analgesia and a striking improvement of the functional situation. Possible causes of the therapeutic success are discussed. The analgesia of TENS therapy, which has almost no side-effects, with the secondarily improved psychic situation, is regarded as the major responsible factor. This method appears to be a rewarding alternative in the treatment of pain syndromes secondary to peripheral nerve lesions.