Chronic pain: use of TENS in the elderly

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can be an important adjunct to the management of pain in elderly patients. Chronic neuropathy and postfracture recovery are the leading indications for using the portable stimulative device, although it has also been applied successfully in relieving low-back pain, postherpetic neuralgia, myofascial pain, phantom-limb pain, and advanced, painful malignancies. However, TENS is rarely used alone in pain relief, but instead should be part of a larger management program that may include other modalities.