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Effect of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Patients with Total Knee Replacement: A Randomized
Nilgün Özbaş1, Emre Ersoy2, Murat Korkmaz3
1Akdağmadeni Health College Nursing Department, Surgical Diseases Nursing, Yozgat Bozok University, Yozgat, Turkey.
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on pain, functionality, quality of life, and analgesic consumption in patients undergoing TKR.
Design:
A single center, randomized controlled trial.
Methods:
A total of 52 participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 26) and control (n = 26) groups. The intervention group was exposed to conventional TENS. Data were collected with a Patient Identification Form, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), the Quality of Life Scale (SF-36), and the Analgesic Tracking Form.
Results:
VAS and WOMAC scores significantly decreased in the intervention group, over time, while they increased in the control group. SF-36 scores significantly increased in the intervention group over time. It was determined that analgesic consumption was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group.
Conclusions:
TENS significantly reduced pain and increased functionality and quality of life. Our findings suggest that TENS may be an effective adjunctive analgesic therapy in patients receiving TKR; however, more testing is needed in larger and more heterogeneous populations.
Clinical Implications:
Nurses can provide effective postoperative pain control in patients undergoing TKR, increase functionality, accelerate the healing process, and improve their quality of life by using TENS, a non-pharmacological treatment method, in the perioperative period.
