Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2025
Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
Published on: January 5, 2024
The role of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for menstrual pain relief: A randomized control trial
Bailey McLagan1, Joshua Dexheimer2, Nicole Strock3
1Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Background:
Abdominal pain due to menses (primary dysmenorrhea) is an extremely pervasive and debilitating symptom affecting up to 90% of menstruating individuals.
Objective:
The objective of this randomized control trial was to investigate the effect of a commercial transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit, Therabody PowerDot® (Therabody Inc., Los Angeles) on dysmenorrhea compared with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use.
Design:
This was a randomized cross-over study.
Methods:
A total of 47 participants agreed to participate in the study, with 34 completing it. Participants completed treatments across three consecutive menstrual cycles in randomized order: single-unit transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (Uno), dual unit transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (Duo), and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use (Control). Upon onset of dysmenorrhea, participants applied transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to their abdomen for a minimum of 30 min. Control participants were instructed to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as needed. Surveys were used to record pain before and after treatment. We hypothesized that the PowerDot would decrease self-reported pain scores, and decrease non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug consumption during menses.
Results:
Participants experienced a statistically and clinically significant reduction in pain during the Control (-3.52 ± 1.9), Uno (-2.10 ± 1.6), and Duo (-2.19 ± 1.7) cycles (p < 0.001). The doses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs consumed during the Control cycle (3.5 ± 2.6), was significantly different as compared with that of Uno (1.5 ± 3.0), or Duo (1.1 ± 2.6) (p = 0.004).
Conclusions:
Use of a commercial transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit results in significant decrease in pain. Although not as robust as the relief in pain induced by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the adverse events of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation are minimal in comparison. Therefore, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation appears to be a viable alternative to pain relief from dysmenorrhea.
Clinical Trial Registration:
NCT05178589.
