Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation reduces exercise-induced perceived pain and improves endurance exercise...

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Pain Management
• Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation

Background:

• Muscle pain is a common outcome of strenuous exercise, potentially limiting athletic performance.
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and interferential current (IFC) are established methods for pain reduction in various conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if TENS and IFC can alleviate exercise-induced pain (EIP).
• To determine the impact of reduced EIP on exercise performance.
• Hypothesized that TENS and IFC would decrease EIP and improve performance.

Main Methods:

• Two-part study involving healthy male and female participants.
• Part I: Isometric bicep contractions to exhaustion.
• Part II: 16.1 km cycling time trial.
• Utilized a repeated measures, randomized cross-over, placebo-controlled design with TENS, IFC, and SHAM conditions.
• Perceived EIP was measured using a validated subjective scale.

Main Results:

• TENS significantly reduced perceived EIP by 12% during isometric contractions (P=0.006).
• TENS significantly increased time to exhaustion by 38% (P=0.02).
• TENS significantly improved cycling time trial completion time by approximately 2% (P=0.003) via increased mean power output.

Conclusions:

• TENS effectively attenuates perceived exercise-induced pain in healthy individuals.
• Reducing EIP through TENS significantly enhances endurance performance.
• Benefits observed in both submaximal isometric and whole-body dynamic exercise tasks.