Trial reportPhysical therapy2012
Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on pain, pain sensitivity, and function in people with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Physical therapy, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 6 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 60 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Somatosensory Electrical Stimulation to Improve Motor Control in Patients Suffering From Knee Osteoarthritis
Immediate Effects of Manual Therapy Versus TENS in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis
Optimal Frequency Used in Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for Treating Nocturnal Enuresis in Children
The Impact of High Frequency Electrical Nerve Stimulation and Chiropractic Care on Sciatic Axonal Lesion Presenting as Painful Leg: Case Report
Optimal Frequency Used in Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for Treating Pelvic Pain in Adults
Optimal Pulse Width Used in Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for Treating Nocturnal Enuresis in Children
Who cites it
60 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 174 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dose-Response Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Characterising the Features of 381 Clinical Studies Evaluating Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for Pain Relief: A Secondary Analysis of the Meta-TENS Study to Improve Future Research.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2022Pooled it
- Impact of Therapeutic Interventions on Pain Intensity and Endogenous Pain Modulation in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2019Pooled it
- Effects of Using High-Frequency TENS During an Exercise Therapy Program in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy · 2026Trial
- Comparison of three therapeutic methods of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, embedding acupuncture, and drug therapy on interleukin-6 and pain levels in patients with knee osteoarthritis.Clinical rheumatology · 2026Trial
- Effects of Personal Low-Frequency Stimulation Device on Myalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on acute postoperative pain intensity and mobility after hip fracture: A double-blinded, randomized trial.Clinical interventions in aging · 2019Trial
- Age Group Comparisons of TENS Response Among Individuals With Chronic Axial Low Back Pain.The journal of pain · 2015Trial
- Effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on pain, function, and quality of life in fibromyalgia: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.Physical therapy · 2015Trial
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- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and heat to reduce pain in a chronic low back pain population: a randomized controlled clinical trial.Brazilian journal of physical therapyTrial
- Dose-response effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2026Article
- A Wearable TENS Garment for Joint Pain Management: IEC 60601 Compliant Design and Preliminary Evaluation.IEEE journal of translational engineering in health and medicine · 2026Article
- Targeting Central Sensitization for Pain Management in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Narrative Review of Mechanisms and Clinical Applications of Neuromodulation.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- The effects of various physical modalities on pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A network meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedics · 2025Review
- Recent advances in the management of knee osteoarthritis: a narrative review.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Review
- Latest Advancements in Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and Electronic Muscle Stimulation (EMS): Revisiting an Established Therapy with New Possibilities.Journal of pain research · 2025Review
- Through the Lens of Movement-Evoked Pain: A Theoretical Framework of the "Pain-Movement Interface" to Guide Research and Clinical Care for Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions.The journal of pain · 2024Review
- A domain-oriented approach to characterizing movement-evoked pain.Pain reports · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is commonly used for the management of pain; however, its effects on several pain and function measures are unclear.
objectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the effects of high-frequency TENS (HF-TENS) and low-frequency TENS (LF-TENS) on several outcome measures (pain at rest, movement-evoked pain, and pain sensitivity) in people with knee osteoarthritis.
designThe study was a double-blind, randomized clinical trial.
settingThe setting was a tertiary care center.
participantsSeventy-five participants with knee osteoarthritis (29 men and 46 women; 31-94 years of age) were assessed.
interventionParticipants were randomly assigned to receive HF-TENS (100 Hz) (n=25), LF-TENS (4 Hz) (n=25), or placebo TENS (n=25) (pulse duration=100 microseconds; intensity=10% below motor threshold). MEASUREMENTS: The following measures were assessed before and after a single TENS treatment: cutaneous mechanical pain threshold, pressure pain threshold (PPT), heat pain threshold, heat temporal summation, Timed "Up & Go" Test (TUG), and pain intensity at rest and during the TUG. A linear mixed-model analysis of variance was used to compare differences before and after TENS and among groups (HF-TENS, LF-TENS, and placebo TENS).
resultsCompared with placebo TENS, HF-TENS and LF-TENS increased PPT at the knee; HF-TENS also increased PPT over the tibialis anterior muscle. There was no effect on the cutaneous mechanical pain threshold, heat pain threshold, or heat temporal summation. Pain at rest and during the TUG was significantly reduced by HF-TENS, LF-TENS, and placebo TENS. LIMITATIONS: This study tested only a single TENS treatment.
conclusionsBoth HF-TENS and LF-TENS increased PPT in people with knee osteoarthritis; placebo TENS had no significant effect on PPT. Cutaneous pain measures were unaffected by TENS. Subjective pain ratings at rest and during movement were similarly reduced by active TENS and placebo TENS, suggesting a strong placebo component of the effect of TENS.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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 OpenQuestion graph.