Trial reportEinstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil)2021
Immediate analgesic effect of two modes of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on patients with chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Advances in physiotherapy for chronic low-back pain: a level I systematic review.Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology · 2026Pooled it
- 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
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Integrated into Pants for the Relief of Postoperative Pain in Hip Surgery Patients: A Randomized Trial.Pain research & management · 2024Trial
- Current Intensity and Immediate Analgesic Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Patients with Lumbosacral Pain: A Preliminary Observational Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Physiotherapy approaches for pain control in patients who are critically ill.World journal of critical care medicine · 2026Review
- Comparative Efficacy of Physical Agent Therapies for Chronic Low Back Pain-A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- The effect of over-the-counter analgesics on changes to the sensory sensitivity of patients treated with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.Scientific reports · 2025Observational
- Predictors for Poor Outcomes at Six Months on Pain, Disability, Psychological and Health Status in Greek Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain After Receiving Physiotherapy: A Prospective Cohort Study.Clinics and practice · 2025Article
- 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
- Prognostic Factors in Patients Undergoing Physiotherapy for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Level I Systematic Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Physiotherapeutic and non-conventional approaches in patients with chronic low-back pain: a level I Bayesian network meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Analgesic and Functional Efficiency of High-Voltage Electrical Stimulation in Patients with Lateral Epicondylitis-A Report with a 180-Day Follow-Up.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo compare and assess the immediate analgesic effects of conventional and burst transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in patients with chronic low back pain.
methodsWe conducted a three-arm single-blinded randomized controlled trial. A total of 105 patients with non-specific chronic low back pain aged between 18 and 85 years were randomly assigned into the following groups: Placebo Group (sham electrical stimulation), Conventional TENS Group (continuous stimulation at 100Hz for 100µs with sensory intensity), and Burst TENS Group (stimulation at 100Hz modulated at 2Hz for 100µs with motor-level intensity). All groups received a single application of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for 30 minutes. The outcomes, namely, pain intensity, quality of pain, and pressure pain threshold were measured by the visual analog scale, McGill pain questionnaire, and algometry, respectively. The patients were evaluated before and immediately after the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation application.
resultsPain intensity (visual analog scale score) and quality of pain (McGill pain questionnaire score) significantly decreased (p<0.05) in Intervention Groups (Conventional TENS Group and Burst TENS Group). A positive effect was observed in the interventions compared to the Placebo Group in all domains of the McGill pain questionnaire (p<0.05), excepting for the pain intensity. Pressure pain threshold significantly increased (p<0.05) immediately after the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation application in both Intervention Groups, but not in the Placebo Group. For significant difference was found during assessment when comparing both Intervetion Group.
conclusionBoth transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation modes were effective for pain modulation. Moreover, there was an increase in the pressure pain threshold. No significant results were found to indicate the best mode for the treatment of chronic low back pain.Clinical Trial Registration: RBR-59YGRB.
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