Study finds TENS combined with heat reduces chronic pain
People using TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) technology, in conjunction with heat, experienced an improved pressure pain threshold of 32% after four weeks of treatment, according to research from Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
The study, commissioned by Omron Healthcare and recently published in the Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy, positions the company’s combination of heat and TENS as an alternative to provide relief to chronic pain sufferers. The British Pain Society estimates that there are 28 million adults suffering with chronic pain in the UK. In turn, these adults might spend up to three years before being properly diagnosed, consequently adopting a trial-and-error approach to treating their pain.
The clinical study compared an experimental group using Omron HeatTens pain reliever combined with their regular treatment alongside a control group, who continued with only regular medication treatment, without using Omron HeatTens. The experiment had a duration of four weeks, and after treatment, the experimental group further improved their pressure pain threshold by 32%, compared to the reduction in pain experienced by the control group. Medical experts concluded this was a “significant clinically important pain relief” result.
Over the course of the study, participants amongst the experiment group self-reported continually decreasing pain scores, which led to some patients requiring no further increases in medication – compared to patients in the control group, who saw their pain levels soar to 44% and increase their medication intake throughout the four weeks. The results also show a significant reduction in pain when Omron HeatTens is used without medication.
Lucia Prada, marketing director of Omron Healthcare Europe, said: “Chronic pain has a detrimental impact on all aspects of everyday life. Previous research suggests that pain affects the emotional well-being, social life, family life and even the parenting skills of the sufferers – consequently effecting the self, but also those closest and dearest. With our going for zero promise, we made an explicit commitment to help people not to be defined by their conditions, and we’re proud to present new clinical evidence that gives additional confidence for the adoption of heat plus TENS as an effective pain relief technology."
The new Omron HeatTens device combines two complementary therapies to relieve pain in different parts of the body using heat and TENS by applying the device’s pads to a user’s skin. The heat produced increases metabolic activity, warms and relaxes the muscle for soothing relief and improves blood circulation. This combines with a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) element that sends electrical pulses to interrupt pain signals, trigger the release of endorphins and stimulate the body’s natural pain-relieving mechanisms.