Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for chronic post-herpetic neuralgia.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Pain Management
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) presents a significant clinical challenge.
• Existing therapeutic modalities often yield limited success in managing PHN pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TNS) with biofeedback in patients with refractory PHN.
• To compare the effectiveness of a true TNS device against a sham device.

Main Methods:

• A pilot randomized study involving patients with PHN resistant to prior medicinal treatments.
• Patients received treatment with either a true or sham TNS device with biofeedback.
• Pain scores were assessed using a standard neuropathic pain scale after treatment intervals.
• Patients could switch to the alternative device if pain relief was inadequate after three sessions.

Main Results:

• All patients preferred the true TNS device over the sham device.
• A statistically significant decrease in pain scores was reported by the majority of patients treated with the true TNS device (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Transcutaneous nerve stimulation with biofeedback demonstrates significant potential for pain relief in recalcitrant PHN.
• Further investigation is warranted for this FDA-accepted electronic device as a treatment option for PHN.