New guidelines have been issued by the issued by the American Academy of Neurology stating that use of TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) devices have no benefit for treating chronic low back pain. The therapy consists of applying a device to the low back that delivers electrical impulses to control pain. The units are widely used for pain control, and may work for other condition. TENS units are not shown to reduce low back pain that has persisted for more than three months.
According to guideline author Richard M. Dubinsky, MD, MPH, of Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, “The strongest evidence showed that there is no benefit for people using TENS for chronic low-back pain. Doctors should use clinical judgment regarding TENS use for chronic low-back pain. People who are currently using TENS for their low-back pain should discuss these findings with their doctors.”
The study authors reviewed all of the evidence to date related to TENS units for treating chronic low back pain, finding that the treatment does not help chronic low back pain, and that studies have been mostly conflicting.
For individuals with nerve pain from diabetes however, TENS units can provide some relief, and Dr. Dubinsky says there is good evidence supporting the use of TENS units to relieve diabetic neuropathy, a painful condition when nerves are damaged from blood sugars that are poorly controlled in diabetics. Neuropathy associated with diabetes is a common problem that destroys quality of life, disrupts sleep, and can lead to limited mobility.
Back pain, both acute and chronic, account for a majority of ailments in the United States TENS units have been used to treat back pain for years, though scientists are not sure how they work. The theory is that the nerve stimulation delivered at a level controlled by the patient interrupts pain signals to the brain. The units may “confuse” the way pain travels. The new guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology no longer recommend TENS units as a treatment for chronic low back pain. Acute back pain problems were not included in the current analysis.
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by on 31. Dec, 2009 in Health News
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