Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation effects on patients with subacute vertebral fracture: a case report using an ABAB study design.
Naoto Ikeda, Katsuyuki Morishita, Atsushi Tamura
PMID 36744199WHAT IT FOUND
Pain scores fell sharply during hospitalization with standard physical therapy, bracing, walking aids and earlier pain medication.
Adding TENS to that plan coincided with higher trunk strength and longer walking distance in one patient. This cannot show TENS works.
Key findings
01Pain scores at rest and during getting up, standing, and walking improved to less than 10 mm after the baseline standard physical therapy phase.
02Trunk extension strength and continuous walking distance tended to improve in phases when TENS was added to standard physical therapy.
03No adverse events due to electrical stimulation were observed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
This was one patient, so it cannot show what would happen in other patients. The patient received standard physical therapy, rigid bracing, walking aids, and earlier pain medication at the same time, so the contribution of TENS alone cannot be separated. The primary pain outcome improved during a phase without TENS, which weakens the case that TENS caused the pain improvement. There was no blinding, and the same physiotherapists delivered the intervention and took the measurements. The study did not measure gait or erector spinae muscle activity during TENS. The patient had already been able to perform self-care and walk at home before admission, so the results may not apply to more disabled patients.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial or other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that TENS caused the improvement. The patient also received standard physical therapy, rigid bracing, walking aid practice, and earlier pain medication, and the pain outcome improved during a phase without TENS.