EFFICACY OF BURST TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRIC NERVE STIMULATION (TENS) IN PAIN MANAGEMENT AND THERAPY

Abstract

Burst Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is a form of pain therapy that offers strong contractions at lower frequency. It combines the efficacy of low-TENS and the comfort of conventional high-TENS. The waveform used in most common TENS device is Asymmetrical Biphasic Modified Square Wave pulse. Burst-TENS stimulates both nerve types simultaneously, thereby activating the AB sensory fibers and the pain gate mechanism and by the rate of burst, each burst will produce excitation of the AD fibers therefore stimulating the opioid mechanism. A randomized control trial (RCT) was conducted at the National Institute of Rehabilitative Medicine in Islamabad to form the Interventional Group and the Control Group of participants based on their advised treatment method. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used as a pain scale index to record pre-treatment and post-treatment scores between 0 and 10. Screening and case reporting of each participant was followed by using statistical tools to record significant changes in pain intensities of both groups. Analysis of variation (ANOVA) was applied to analyze the difference among group means. Burst- TENS reduces pain intensity significantly better than routine therapy (heat and exercise). TENS physiotherapy is safe, inexpensive and patient friendly. It has no adverse or side-effect compared to pharmaceutical intervention.