A Review of the Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation upon the RIII Nociceptive Reflex

© 2000 Maney Publishing. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a popular modality for the management of pain, despite a lack of consensus regarding the optimal analgesic stimulation parameters. As a result, throughout the last four decades TENS has been the subject of extensive laboratory-based studies. The current review focuses upon one specific outcome measure, namely the RIII reflex. This reflex has been described as a good physiological correlate of nociceptive pain. Previous studies that have examined the effects of TENS upon the RIII nociceptive reflex have used a diversity of methodologies and provided equivocal results. This paper outlines the work to date, highlights the clinical implications of this work as well as possible reasons for the equivocal results and suggests areas for future investigations