Trained long-term TENS users with chronic non-malignant pain. A retrospective questionnaire study of TENS usage and patients' experiences

Abstract

Objectives: The aim was to examine self-administered long-term transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) usage along with patients' experiences in a group of patients with chronic regional non-malignant pain.Methods: All patients who had been selected to take part in a TENS trial at a university rehabilitation department during a 4-year period and had experienced initial pain-relief, were given personal units for home use. The TENS trials were performed by experienced professionals who gave careful instructions. One to four years later, 250 patients were sent a postal questionnaire focusing on: how TENS was used; degree of pain-relief; possible reasons for stopping using the technique; side effects; and patient experiences of trial and treatment follow-up procedures.Results: The response rate was 84% (n=210). One hundred and fifty-five (74%) patients were actively using TENS on a regular basis: 50 (32%) reported daily use and 55 (35%) use several times a week. The degree of pain-relief was reported by the active users on a four-category scale. Four (3%) patients reported 'Complete', 94 (61%) reported 'Some', and 47 (30%) reported 'Satisfactory' pain-relief. The duration of pain-relief was for 78 (50%) patients 1–4 hours, and for 23 (15%) patients 1–2 days or more. Other positive effects such as relaxation, less pain medication, better physical function were experienced by 71 (46%) patients, and 39 (25%) patients experienced adverse effects, most often related to handling problems or skin irritation.Discussion: This cross-sectional study indicates that three quarters of our patients continued to use their TENS units regularly for years, suggesting that they found it worthwhile to use TENS for pain relief.