Comparative analysis of labile and stable high-frequency TENS in the treatment of neuropathic pain syndrome

Abstract

Introduction: There have been many works devoted to the comparative analysis of high-frequency and low-frequency TENS in the treatment of neuropathic pain syndrome. Meanwhile, the comparative analysis of the methods of labile and stable TENS has not been sufficiently studied to date. Purpose: To make a comparative analysis of labile and stable high-frequency TENS in the treatment of neuropathic pain syndrome in patients with distal polyneuropathy of the lower extremities (DPLE). Materials and methods: 64 patients (F: 34, M: 30) with severe neuropathic pain syndrome on the background of diabetic DPLE were studied. Depending on the method of high-frequency TENS, all patients were divided into 2groups: stable high-frequency TENS (n=31) and labile high-frequency TENS (n=33). TENS was carried out every other day for a month. The severity of pain was determined by the VAS before each procedure. Results: The reduction of pain syndrome with the use of labile stimulation was 76.9%, compared to stable stimulation — 41,6%. With daily registration of pain syndrome, a significant increase in pain syndrome was revealed in patients who underwent stable high-frequency TENS after the 7th procedure to 4,5±0,3points in comparison with the indicators of pain syndrome obtained after the 3rd procedure (3,2±0,14). Conclusions: The analgesic effect of the labile high-frequency TENS significantly exceeds the analgesic effect of the stable high-frequency TENS by 85.1%. Partial tolerance to high-frequency TENS is observed when applying stable stimulation, which develops after the 7th procedure and is not observed after labile TENS.