TENS for Movement-Evoked Pain in Fibromyalgia: A Randomised Double-Blind Controlled Trial

The study examined the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in fibromyalgia, characterized by chronic widespread pain and heightened movement-evoked pain. Twenty-one women with fibromyalgia performed leg press exercises at 60% of their predicted maximum strength and were randomly assigned to receive either active TENS (100 Hz) or sham TENS. Pain was measured before exercise, immediately after, 15 minutes after, at end of day, and 24 hours later. Results showed that active TENS led to greater pain reduction after exercise compared to sham TENS, with 90% of participants experiencing at least a 15% decrease in whole body pain 15 minutes post-exercise, compared to none in the sham group. No differences between groups were observed at end of day or 24 hours after exercise. A single session of high-frequency TENS during resistance exercise can produce short-term reductions in movement-evoked pain in women with fibromyalgia, which may help support early training adherence despite the effects not persisting at 24 hours.