TENS is harmful in primary writing tremor.
OBJECTIVE
It is unclear whether primary writing tremor (PWT) is a tremulous form of dystonia or a tremor per se. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) at 50 Hz applied for 2 weeks was reported to improve the writing capabilities of patients with writer's cramp (WC). We explored whether such a beneficial effect can be obtained in patients with a PWT.


METHODS
In a cross-over, double-blinded randomized study we tested whether 2-week periods of 5, 25 or 50 Hz TENS applied to wrist flexor muscles, improved the score of the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin scale of nine patients with PWT. Excitability of neurons and of various intracortical circuits in the motor cortex were also tested before and after TENS by using transcranial magnetic stimulation.


RESULTS
TENS at 5 and 25 Hz did not have any effect while TENS at 50 Hz worsened the clinical condition and the cortical excitability.


CONCLUSIONS
TENS is not a new treatment alternative for PWT.


CONCLUSIONS
The beneficial effect in WC and the harmful one in PWT of TENS stresses that the two disorders are likely different nosological entities.
Meunier
S
S
CRICM, INSERM UMR_S 975, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris F-75013, France.
Bleton
J P
JP
Mazevet
D
D
Sangla
S
S
Grabli
D
D
Roze
E
E
Vidailhet
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004421:Dystonia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D020821:Dystonic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014953:Wrist / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology