Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36295493›Full record

ReviewMedicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)2022

Using TENS for Pain Control: Update on the State of the Evidence.

Carol G T Vance, Dana L Dailey, Ruth L Chimenti, Barbara J Van Gorp, Leslie J Crofford, Kathleen A Sluka

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06824298 (Effect of TENS on Bladder Tenesmus-related Pain and Patient Comfort in the Early Postoperative Period After Urinary Surgery), which is not on this map. Cited by 69 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
69citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
11.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06824298 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Effect of TENS on Bladder Tenesmus-related Pain and Patient Comfort in the Early Postoperative Period After Urinary Surgery

TypeinterventionalSponsorIstanbul Medeniyet UniversityRan2025 to 2026Enrolled80ConditionsUrinary Surgery, Pain, Postoperative, ComfortArmsTENS
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

69 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 113 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. The healing power of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation: a systematic review on its effects after breast surgery.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025
    Pooled it
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  9. [Electrotherapy and sensory re-education as a treatment for chemotherapy-induced neuropathy].Revista medica del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social · 2026
    Trial
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  14. Acute Effect of Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation on Postural Control: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy · 2025
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9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Carol G T VanceDepartment of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science Department, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
Dana L DaileyDepartment of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science Department, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
Ruth L ChimentiDepartment of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science Department, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0514-739X
Barbara J Van GorpDepartment of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science Department, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
Leslie J CroffordDivision of Rheumatology & Immunology, Medical Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
Kathleen A SlukaDepartment of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science Department, Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
University of Iowa · USVanderbilt University Medical Center · US

Funding

NIH Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory-Coordinating Center (U24)U24AT009676 · NCCIH · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI LESLEY H CURTIS, Adrian Hernandez · 2017 to 2026
$21.5M
The University of Iowa Clinical and Translational Science AwardUL1TR002537 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI HANSEN, MARLAN R, WINOKUR, PATRICIA · 2018 to 2022
$20.0M
Fibromyalgia TENS in Physical Therapy Study (TIPS): an embedded pragmatic clinical trial: Administrative SupplementUH3AR076387 · NIAMS · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI CROFFORD, LESLIE J, SLUKA, KATHLEEN A · 2020 to 2023
$7.3M
HEAL Collaboratory Resource Coordinating Center (PRISM) (U24): Bioethics SupplementU24AT010961 · NCCIH · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI CURTIS, LESLEY H, HERNANDEZ, ADRIAN · 2019 to 2021
$6.4M
Fibromyalgia TENS in Physical Therapy Study (TIPS):an embedded pragmatic clinical trialUG3AR076387 · NIAMS · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI CROFFORD, LESLIE J, SLUKA, KATHLEEN A · 2019 to 2019
$738k
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002537NCCIH NIH HHS U24 AT009676NCCIH NIH HHS U24 AT010961NIAMS NIH HHS UG3 AR076387NIAMS NIH HHS UH3 AR076387
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-pharmacological intervention used in the treatment of acute and chronic pain conditions. The first clinical studies on TENS were published over 50 years ago, when effective parameters of stimulation were unclear and clinical trial design was in its infancy. Over the last two decades, a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying TENS efficacy has led to the development of an adequate dose and has improved outcome measure utilization. The continued uncertainty about the clinical efficacy of TENS to alleviate pain, despite years of research, is related to the quality of the clinical trials included in systematic reviews. This summary of the evidence includes only trials with pain as the primary outcome. The outcomes will be rated as positive (+), negative (-), undecided (U), or equivalent to other effective interventions (=). In comparison with our 2014 review, there appears to be improvement in adverse events and parameter reporting. Importantly, stimulation intensity has been documented as critical to therapeutic success. Examinations of the outcomes beyond resting pain, analgesic tolerance, and identification of TENS responders remain less studied areas of research. This literature review supports the conclusion that TENS may have efficacy for a variety of acute and chronic pain conditions, although the magnitude of the effect remains uncertain due to the low quality of existing literature. In order to provide information to individuals with pain and to clinicians treating those with pain, we suggest that resources for research should target larger, high-quality clinical trials including an adequate TENS dose and adequate timing of the outcome and should monitor risks of bias. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should focus only on areas with sufficiently strong clinical trials that will result in adequate sample size.

Indexed as

Chronic PainTranscutaneous Electric Nerve StimulationAnalgesicsChronic DiseaseHumansPain ManagementSystematic Reviews as TopicAnalgesicsevidencepainTENS

Identifiers

PMID36295493
PMCPMC9611192
OpenAlexW4296848477

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.