title: Value of TENS for relief of chronic low back pain with or without radicular pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical neurostimulation (TENS) in patients with chronic low back pain (LBP).
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, randomized, multicentre, single-blind study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one French pain centres.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred thirty-six consecutive adult patients consulting for chronic LBP, with or without radicular pain (mean age ± standard deviation: 53 ± 13 years; range: 28-86 years).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were randomly assigned to receive either active (n = 117) or sham (n = 119) TENS in four 1-h daily treatment sessions for 3 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary outcome measured was improvement of functional status at 6 weeks (Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire). Secondary outcome measures were improvement of functional status at 3 months, pain relief (weekly visual analogue scale assessments), positive functional repercussions of pain levels on quality of life, a diminution of the use of analgesic and anti-inflammatory medication, satisfaction with the overall treatment strategy and compliance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Functional status did not differ between the groups, whether at 6 weeks or 3 months (p = 0.351 at 6 weeks). A significant improvement between the first and last visual analogue scale assessments was observed in patients with either lumbar pain alone or lumbar and radicular pain treated with active TENS. Other outcome measures did not differ significantly between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no functional benefit of TENS in the treatment of patients with chronic LBP.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'investigation Clinique - Epidémiologie Clinique/Essais Cliniques (CIE3), CHU de Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne Cedex, France. andrea.buchmuller@chu-st-etienne.fr
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buchmuller
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Navez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Milletre-Bernardin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pouplin
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Presles
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lantéri-Minet
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tardy
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Laurent
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Camdessanché
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation; D016896:Treatment Outcome