Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for pain relief after orthopedic surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

作者：Jiangtao YANG, Chuanhua ZHENG, Chunyuan Zhang, He Zhang, Yongning HUANG, Fangjun Huang, Jiao Huang, Qisheng LUO · 发表于：Minerva Anestesiologica · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.23736/s0375-9393.25.19093-7 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Pain Management and Treatment、Pain Mechanisms and Treatments、Pediatric Pain Management Techniques

INTRODUCTION: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a potential adjunct therapy for postoperative pain management following orthopedic surgery. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of TENS in postoperative pain management following orthopedic surgery. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were comprehensively searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of TENS in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. The primary outcome was the postoperative pain scores. Secondary outcomes included opioid consumption and postoperative nausea or vomiting (PONV). The intention-to-treat principle was applied in this meta-analysis. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Thirteen RCTs involving 849 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, TENS significantly reduced resting pain scores at 24 hours (MD -0.95; 95% CI: -1.51, -0.40; P=0.0007), 48 hours (MD -0.81; 95% CI: -1.27, -0.35; P=0.0005), and 72 hours (MD -1.01; 95% CI: -1.58, -0.44; P=0.0005) after orthopedic surgery. Subgroup analysis suggested that the analgesic benefit of TENS on resting pain score at 24 hours was not statistically significant in patients receiving patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) (MD -0.29; 95% CI: -1.10, 0.53; P=0.49). Similarly, TENS significantly reduced movement pain scores at 24 hours (MD -1.22; 95% CI: -2.09, -0.35; P=0.006), 48 hours (MD -1.02; 95% CI: -1.81, -0.23; P=0.01), ...