Trial reportPain2015
High- and low-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation does not reduce experimental pain in elderly individuals.
Trial report in Pain, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Prospective, Multicenter Study to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Translingual Neurostimulation Plus Physical Therapy for the Treatment of a Chronic Balance Deficit Due to Mild-to-Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury.Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society · 2021Trial
- Whole-body vibration decreases delayed onset muscle soreness following eccentric exercise in elite hockey players: a randomised controlled trial.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2021Trial
- Music and low-frequency vibrations for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain in elderly: A pilot study.PloS one · 2021Trial
- Neurobiological mechanisms of TENS-induced analgesia.NeuroImage · 2019Trial
- Advances in sciatic nerve regeneration: A review of contemporary techniques.Regenerative therapy · 2025Review
- Comparative Neurological and Behavioral Assessment of Central and Peripheral Stimulation Technologies for Induced Pain and Cognitive Tasks.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- Kilohertz-frequency interferential current induces hypoalgesic effects more comfortably than TENS.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Electrical stimulation therapy for peripheral nerve injury.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Review
- Pain Management and Rehabilitation for Central Sensitization in Temporomandibular Disorders: A Comprehensive Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Muscle contractions and pain sensation accompanying high-frequency electroporation pulses.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Long-Term Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation as a Treatment for Ocular Pain.Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society · 2021Article
- Decreased Initial Peak Pain Sensation with Aging: A Psychophysical Study.Journal of pain research · 2020Article
- Article
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator of 5000 Hz frequency provides better analgesia than that of 100 Hz frequency in mice muscle pain model.The Kaohsiung journal of medical sciences · 2017Article
- Real-time evaluation of an automated computer vision system to monitor pain behavior in older adults.Journal of rehabilitation and assistive technologies engineeringArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Despite its widespread clinical use, the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) remains poorly documented in elderly individuals. In this randomized, double-blind crossover study, we compared the efficacy of high-frequency (HF), low-frequency (LF), and placebo (P) TENS in a group of 15 elderly adults (mean age: 67 ± 5 years). The effect of HF-, LF-, and P-TENS was also evaluated in a group of 15 young individuals (26 ± 5 years; same study design) to validate the effectiveness of the TENS protocols that were used in the elderly group. Each participant came to the laboratory on 3 separate occasions to receive, in random order, HF-, LF-, and P-TENS. Pain intensity and pain perception thresholds were assessed before, during, and after TENS, using an experimental heat pain paradigm. For the young group, there was a significant decrease in pain intensity during and after HF- and LF-TENS when compared with baseline, with both HF- and LF-TENS being superior to P-TENS. In the older group, HF- and LF-TENS did not reduce pain when compared with baseline and no difference was observed between the 2 active TENS sessions and P-TENS. High-frequency, LF-, and P-TENS all increased pain thresholds in young individuals, whereas in older individuals, only LF-TENS increased pain thresholds. Taken together, these results suggest that TENS is effective in young, but not in older, individuals. Future studies should be conducted to confirm these results in pain populations and to identify strategies that could enhance the effect of TENS in the elderly.
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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.