Efeito da eletroestimulação nervosa transcutânea (TENS) aplicada contralateral na dor e/ou sensação fantasma

Abstract

Introduction Phantom pain is defined as a phenomenon that involves a painful sensation perceived following the loss of a segment of the body or a part paralyzed after an injury of the dorsal column or nerve root avulsion. The phantom sensation is defined as the perception of a not-painful sensation in the amputated part of the limb, and such sensations include the distorted perception of the amputated limb. A physical therapy modality used for the treatment of these sensations is the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), which consists in a simple method of treatment that may provide relief of pain. Objective The purpose of this study was to verify if the TENS application at the contralateral segment to the amputated limb could reduce or abolish the phantom pain and/or sensation. Material and methods The study was carried through in 10 patients amputated with any level of amputation, who presented phantom pain and/or sensation. The patients had been evaluated and it was delivered the TENS unit by 10 Hz frequency and 150 μs pulse width at the contralateral limb to that in which there was phantom pain and/or sensation. The time of application was 10 daily sessions of 30 minutes each. Results The analysis registered statistically significant difference in the reduction of phantom and/or sensation pain’s intensity [t(9) = 7,50; p = 0,0001]. Conclusion The study demonstrated the effectiveness of phantom pain and/or sensation’s treatment by TENS at the contralateral limb to the amputated limb, bringing benefits to the clinic state and improving patient’s quality of life.