Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

Abstract

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a simple, noninvasive analgesic technique that is used extensively in health-care settings by physiotherapists, nurses, and midwifes. It has been demonstrated that TENS is of significant benefit in the management of vulvar and sexual pain (vulvodynia), and it can also have a relevant role in the treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction where we have the development of hypertonic muscles. TENS can also be used to strengthen pelvic muscles in the management of hypotonic pelvic floor dysfunction. TENS can be effective alone or combined with other therapies in the treatment of urinary incontinence, but there is no consensus on the electrical parameters to be used. It was demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of sacral TENS (S-TENS) in the treatment of fecal incontinence, primarily assessing patient continence scores. This chapter will focus on the current and previous literature that has begun to elucidate the basic science mechanisms of TENS and how these mechanisms can be applied to the pelvic floor disorders.