Acupuncture Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Research Articles

Cerebral cortical hemodynamic metrics to aid in assessing pain levels? A pilot study of functional near-infrared spectroscopy.

Establishing an accurate way to quantify pain is one of the most formidable tasks in neuroscience and medical practice. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can be utilized to detect the brain's reaction to pain. The study sought to assess the neural mechanisms of the wrist-ankle acupuncture transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation analgesic bracelet (E-WAA) in providing pain relief and altering cerebral blood volume dynamics, and to ascertain the reliability of cortical activation patterns as a means of objectively measuring pain. The participants (mean age 36.6 ± 7.2 years) with the cervical-shoulder syndrome (CSS) underwent pain testing prior to, 1 min following, and 30 min after the left point Jianyu treatment. The E-WAA was used to administer an electrical stimulation therapy that lasted for 5 min. A 24-channel fNIRS system was utilized to monitor brain oxyhemoglobin (HbO) levels, and changes in HbO concentrations, cortical activation areas, and subjective pain assessment scales were documented. We discovered that HbO concentrations in the prefrontal cortex significantly increased when CSS patients were exposed to painful stimuli at the cerebral cortex level. The second pain test saw a considerable decrease in the average HbO change amount in the prefrontal cortex when E-WAA was applied, which in turn led to a reduction in the amount of activation and the size of the activated area in the cortex. This study revealed that the frontal polar (FP) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) were linked to the analgesic modulation activated by the E-WAA.

Acupoint Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Hospitalized COPD Patients with Severe Dyspnoea: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

To evaluate the effect of acupuncture transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (acuTENS) on the reduction of dyspnoea during acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). A multicentric randomized control trial with masked patients and evaluators was carried out. During hospitalization, AECOPD patients received 45 min of acuTENS (experimental group) or sham acuTENS (controls) daily on 5 consecutive days. The trial was conducted at the Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Manresa (both in Spain). Dyspnoea and peak expiratory flow were measured daily from the first to fifth days. Length of stay, readmissions at 3 months and adverse events were also analysed. Finally, 19 patients with moderately to severely exacerbated COPD were included. Although some tendencies in dyspnoea during day 1 and length of hospital stay were found favouring acupuncture, no significant differences were shown between groups. The acuTENS intervention was feasible#well tolerated in AECOPD patients and no important side effects were reported.

Effect of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on Lung Function among Covid-19 Patients- A Review Study

Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) is a highly contagious disease mainly affecting the respiratory system, the virus is transmitted from person-to-person through large droplets from coughing, sneezing or rhinorrhea, it remains viable for at least 24 hours on a hard surface and up to eight hours on a soft surface. If it enters into the human respiratory system, it attacks the lungs and induces serous fluid, fibrin exudates, and leads to hyaline membrane formation in the alveoli which highly affects the respiratory system. The aim of this review is to collect the present evidence on effect of Acupuncture-Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (Acu-TENS) on pulmonary function which can help the clinicians to do further clinical trials and recommend the usage of Modality TENS which can significantly improve lung function among COVID-19 patients. Till now, it is found that few breathing techniques improve lung function among hospitalised COVID-19 patients but yet no study has been found which shows the effect of modality like TENS on lung function among COVID-19 patients. TENS is a non-invasive and inexpensive peripheral stimulation technique that markedly improves lung function after a single session of 30-45 minutes. Hence, usage of TENS can be recommended for COVID-19 patient treatment.

The influence of acupuncture TENS currents on the proliferation of cancer cells tested in vitro

Introduction: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is a very popular, non-pharmacological antianalgetic method. Nonetheless, knowledge on using this method is very limited in the treatment of patients with cancer anamnesis. Unfortunately, there are not many results of research referring to the application of this method. It is much more difficult to exclude the possibility of proneoplastic activity regarding these methods than to confirm this action. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of TENS currents on the proliferation of cancer cells tested in vitro. Materials and methods: The following human cell lines were used - A549, ES-2, HT29, MCF-7. The cells were plated 24 h before treatment. Then, the cells were exposed to AL-TENS currents (0.1 mA, 1.0 mA and 10 mA), t imp. 200μs; f 2Hz, constant; duration: 20 min. The in vitro cytotoxic effects were examined after 96 h in SRB assay. In the other experiment, there were three expositions – 24, 48 and 72 hours from the beginning of the experiment. Results: In this assay, the acceleration of cancer cell proliferation after single or triple-dose expositions to AL-TENS currents was not observed. Conclusions: The AL-TENS current after repeated doses did not accelerate proliferation of cancer cells in in vitro conditions.

Effect of Acupuncture Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Upper Limb Function in Stroke Patients

Abstract Background: Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability; the restoration of movements and associated func-tions is a common concern of stroke patients. However, the restoration of the upper limb function is often poor, being seen in less than half of patients. Electrical stimulation is shown to be effective in enhancing the upper extremity functional recovery in stroke patients. Aim of Study: To determine the effect of acupuncture TENS on upper limb function in stroke patients. Procedures: This study was conducted on thirty male stroke patients. Patients were randomly assigned into two equal groups: The study group (GI) and the control group (GII). Group I (study group): This group received acupuncture (TENS) in addition to the selected physical therapy program. Group II (control group): This group received the selected physical therapy program only. Fugel-Meyer Scale was used to assess the upper limb function and Modified Ashworth scale (MAS) was used to assess the spasticity grades before and after four weeks of the treatment program. Results: The results showed that: There was a significant difference of Fugel-Meyer Scale scores and mean values of spasticity grades in study group after the designed treatment program. Conclusion: The acupuncture Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) has a significant effect in reduction of spasticity and improvement of upper extremity function following stroke.

Role of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in post-operative analgesia.

The use of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) as non-pharmacological therapeutic modality is increasing. The types of TENS used clinically are conventional TENS, acupuncture TENS and intense TENS. Their working is believed to be based on gate control theory of pain and activation of endogenous opioids. TENS has been used in anaesthesia for treatment of post-operative analgesia, post-operative nausea vomiting and labour analgesia. Evidence to support analgesic efficacy of TENS is ambiguous. A systematic search of literature on PubMed and Cochrane Library from July 2012 to January 2014 identified a total of eight clinical trials investigating post-operative analgesic effects of TENS including a total of 442 patients. Most of the studies have demonstrated clinically significant reduction in pain intensity and supplemental analgesic requirement. However, these trials vary in TENS parameters used that is, duration, intensity, frequency of stimulation and location of electrodes. Further studies with adequate sample size and good methodological design are warranted to establish general recommendation for use of TENS for post-operative pain.

Acupuncture transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation reduces discomfort associated with barostat-induced rectal distension: A randomized-controlled study

To explore the effectiveness of acupuncture transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (Acu-TENS), a non-invasive modality in reduction of rectal discomfort during barostat-induced rectal distension. Forty healthy subjects were randomized to receive 45 min of either Acu-TENS or placebo-TENS (no electrical output) over acupuncture points Hegu (large-intestine 4), Neiguan (pericardium 6) and Zusanli (stomach 36). A balloon catheter attached to a dual-drive barostat machine was then inserted into the subjects' rectum. A step-wise (4 mmHg) increase in balloon pressure was induced until maximal tolerable or 48 mmHg. Visual analogue scale and a 5-point subjective discomfort scale (no perception, first perception of distension, urge to defecate, discomfort/pain and extreme pain) were used to assess rectal discomfort at each distension pressure. Blood beta-endorphin levels were measured before, immediately after intervention, at 24 mmHg and at maximal tolerable distension pressure. There was no difference in the demographic data and baseline plasma beta-endorphin levels between the two groups. Perception threshold levels were higher in the Acu-TENS group when compared to the placebo group, but the difference reached statistical significance only at the sensations "urge to defecate" and "pain". The distension pressures recorded at the "urge to defecate" sensation for the Acu-TENS and placebo-TENS groups were 28.0 ± 4.5 mmHg and 24.6 ± 5.7 mmHg, respectively (P = 0.043); and the pressures recorded for the "pain" sensation for these two groups were 36.0 ± 4.2 mmHg and 30.5 ± 4.3 mmHg respectively (P = 0.002). Compared to the placebo group, a higher number of participants in the Acu-TENS group tolerated higher distension pressures (> 40 mmHg) (65% in Acu-TENS vs 25% in placebo, P = 0.02). The plasma beta-endorphin levels of the Acu-TENS group were significantly higher than that of the placebo group at barostat inflation pressure of 24 mmHg (1.31 ± 0.40 ng/mL vs 1.04 ± 0.43 ng/mL, P = 0.044) and at maximal inflation pressure (1.46 ± 0.53 ng/mL vs 0.95 ± 0.38 ng/mL, P = 0.003). Acu-TENS reduced rectal discomfort during barostat-induced rectal distension and concurrently associated with a rise in beta-endorphin level.