RECENT FINDINGS: Basic studies on animal models showed that
TENS could alleviate
pain by modulating
neurotransmitters and receptors in the stimulation site and its upper levels, including the spinal cord, brainstem, and brain. Besides, many clinical studies have investigated the efficacy of
TENS in patients with CNP (caused by
spinal cord injury,
stroke, or
multiple sclerosis) and PNP (induced by diabetes,
cancer, or
herpes zoster). Most clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of
TENS in attenuating
neuropathic pain and suggested that appropriate stimulation parameters (e.g., stimulation frequency and intensity) were critical to improving the
analgesic effects of
TENS. However, there are some conflicting findings related to the efficacy of
TENS in relieving
neuropathic pain. With optimized stimulation parameters,
TENS would be effective in attenuating
neuropathic pain. To obtain sufficient evidence to support the use of
TENS in the clinic, researchers recommended performing multicenter clinical trials with optimized
TENS protocols for the treatment of various CNP and PNP.