TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL NERVE STIMULATION

Course overview

TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL NERVE STIMULATION, KNOWN BY ITS ACRONYM TENS, IS A MODALITY THAT USES ELECTRIC CURRENT TO ACTIVATE NERVES IN ORDER TO DECREASE PAIN. THE TENS UNIT IS A SMALL DEVICE, OFTEN BATTERY-OPERATED, WHICH CAN SOMETIMES EVEN FIT INTO A POCKET. IT UTILIZES ELECTRODES PLACED ON THE SKIN AND WHICH CONNECT TO THE UNIT VIA WIRES TO ADDRESS PAIN IN A TARGET REGION. PREGNANCY, EPILEPSY, AND PACEMAKER ARE ALL CONTRAINDICATIONS FOR TENS. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE INDICATIONS, CONTRAINDICATIONS, AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL NERVE STIMULATION AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PAIN.