TENS Machine
Using a TENS machine for gout pain relief is somewhat controversial, but when in agony, most gout sufferers are willing to try anything.
Can a Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation machine help your gout pain?
Unfortunately, I cannot find any specific studies on gout pain and TENS machines. However, there are over one hundred studies into their effects on inflammation, with thousands of other reports on their general use.
The jury is still definitely out when it comes to a clear declaration of effectiveness. Experts remain unconvinced about how frequency and intensity determine effectiveness, and there are strong concerns that, even where a degree of pain relief is certain, those effects diminish with prolonged use.
Having said that, if they work for you, then TENS machines are a good option for gout pain relief. They can now be hired from several sources, so it’s a good idea to test their effectiveness for you before buying your own machine.
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There is a comprehensive review of TENS machines for treating pain [1] by DeSantana and colleagues, who conclude:
Basic scientific evidence suggests that there are peripheral and central nervous system mechanisms underlying the analgesic action of TENS. Studies also show that tolerance to repeated application of TENS can be prevented by multiple strategies, both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic. Experimental pain studies and clinical trials are beginning to refine parameters of stimulation to obtain the best pain relief. It seems that stimulation intensity is a critical factor for the effectiveness of TENS. One meta-analysis was able to show the positive treatment effects of electrical stimulation for relief of chronic musculoskeletal pain, and randomized controlled trials consistently demonstrate the effectiveness of TENS for acute, emergent, and postoperative pain conditions. However, the effectiveness of TENS on individual pain conditions, such as low back pain, is still controversial, likely because of poor study designs and small sample size. Thus, continued research of TENS mechanisms and stimulation parameters in adequately characterized patient populations is critical.
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TENS Machine References
- Title: Effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for treatment of hyperalgesia and pain. Authors: DeSantana JM, Walsh DM, Vance C, Rakel BA, Sluka KA. Published: Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2008 Dec;10(6):492-9. Review. TENS Machine Effectiveness