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Investigators cite a lack of evidence supporting use of TENS for knee osteoarthritis
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Clinical researchers announced that despite 20 years of research on the use of electrostimulation techniques for treating osteoarthritis in the knee, they are still uncertain whether it reduces pain or physical disability, according to a Cochrane Systematic Review.
In transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), an electrical current is applied to the skin at the joint to stimulate the nerves in an effort to relieve osteoarthritis pain.
The authors reviewed data from 18 small trials that together included 813 patients. According to the studies' findings for physical disability, 29 out of 100 people who received TENS treatment responded to treatment, compared to 26 out of 100 people who received fake TENS treatment or received their usual treatments.
There was no difference in pain relief or in the number who dropped out due to adverse effects, according to a press release.
“Although some people who have electrostimulation treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee show some improvement, our data suggest that this may not be greater than the improvement experienced by those who receive placebo treatment,” lead researcher Anne Rutjes, PhD, of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland, said in the press release. “After two decades of research on the use of these methods, there is still no clear evidence that they work.”
She acknowledged that data were only available for a few small trials, and many of these were of very poor quality. In particular, most did not provide enough information about the number of dropouts, and some failed to make any mention at all of adverse effects.
“To clarify the effectiveness of TENS as a treatment for osteoarthritis, we need larger, better quality trials,” Rutjes said in the press release.