Article

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of low-frequency transcutaneous
electrical nerve stimulation (LF-TENS) in the treatment of neuropathic pain in
patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: A total of 33 SCI patients with
neuropathic pain were included in the study. History, duration, localization and
characteristics of pain were recorded. Visual analog scale (VAS) was used to
investigate the effect of LF-TENS four times during the day. Patients were
randomly assigned to study and control groups. The study group was treated with
30 min of LF-TENS daily for 10 days while the placebo group with 30 min of sham
TENS. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 36.55+/-10.36 years. Out of 33
patients, 7 were tetraplegic and 26 were paraplegic. Twenty-three patients had
complete SCI while 10 patients had incomplete injuries. Two groups were similar
with respect to age, gender, duration, level and severity of injury. In the
LF-TENS treatment group, a statistically significant reduction of the VAS values
was observed, however, such an effect was not evident in the control group.
CONCLUSION: This study revealed that in treatment of neuropathic pain of SCI
patients, LF-TENS may be effective.Perspective:This article presents LF-TENS may
effectively complement pharmacological treatment in patients with SCI and
neuropathic pain.

Langue : ANGLAIS