Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for acute pain

TENS is a form of electrical current that can be applied to the skin with the aim of providing pain relief. The objective of this review was to determine how effective TENS was in relieving acute pain in adults when applied as a sole treatment. The database searches identified 1479 studies; of these, 12 met the inclusion criteria for the review with a total of 919 participants. Analysis of the combined results of these 12 studies was not possible due to insufficient extractable data. There is insufficient evidence to draw any conclusions about the effectiveness of TENS for the treatment of acute pain in adults.