Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation improves walking in fatigued persons with multiple sclerosis: a...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (pwMS) significantly impacts daily life due to walking difficulties and fatigue.
• Non-pharmacological strategies like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) are explored to enhance motor function via sensorimotor pathways.
• Understanding TENS's effect on mobility and fatigue in pwMS is crucial for improving quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of TENS on walking performance and fatigue in pwMS.
• To compare TENS applied during rest versus concurrent exercise against sham stimulation.
• To determine if TENS offers a superior non-pharmacological intervention for mobility impairments in pwMS.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled trial involving 80 pwMS with fatigue and walking difficulties.
• Participants were assigned to TENS only, TENS plus exercise, sham stimulation, or sham plus exercise groups.
• Interventions consisted of twelve 10-minute sessions over 4 weeks, with outcomes assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up.

Main Results:

• TENS applied during rest significantly improved walking distance (6-minute walk test) compared to sham stimulation.
• A higher percentage of participants in the TENS group achieved clinically meaningful improvements in walking distance.
• No significant differences were observed in subjective fatigue measures or perceived walking limitations between groups.

Conclusions:

• Resting TENS demonstrates potential for enhancing walking performance in pwMS.
• TENS applied during exercise did not yield significant benefits for walking performance compared to sham.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying TENS's effects on motor function.