Photo Credit: Mayra Perez Diaz

The following is a summary of “Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Integrated into Pants for the Relief of Postoperative Pain in Hip Surgery Patients: A Randomized Trial,” published in the June 2024 issue of Pain by Opolka et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study investigating the impact of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on pain and patient perception of improvement after hip surgery during a 2.5-hour intervention within the first few days post-surgery.

They employed mixed-frequency TENS (2 Hz/80 Hz) delivered through specially designed pants with integrated electrodes and facilitated continuous stimulation during rest and activity. Pain levels and patient perception of improvement were assessed at four-time points using a self-reported Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scores. Additionally, the participants were evaluated based on their ability to perform a 3-meter walk test and the use of pain medication. Nonparametric statistical analysis compared the groups and analyzed changes over time.

The result showed the active TENS group reported a significantly greater PGIC score starting at 30 minutes and lasting the entire intervention (P≤0.001). Similarly, NRS decreased after one hour of active TENS, which continued for the whole intervention (P≤0.05). The difference in pain scores between the groups was more significant in comparison to the minimum considered clinically important, and analysis of individual pain patterns confirmed the significance. Additionally, by the end of the study, patients in the active TENS group were more likely to be able to complete a 3-meter walk test (P-value=0.04). The potential for TENS to reduce opioid use was not definitively proven (P-value=0.066). No surgery-related complications or side effects from TENS were observed.

Investigators concluded that combining mixed-frequency TENS in pants offered a promising addition to multimodal analgesia strategies post-hip surgery.

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2024/6866549